Where We Buy: Retail Real Estate with James Cook

Anne Mezzenga is Founder and CEO of Retail Field Report, a video-first platform exploring what's really happening on the ground floor of retail. James Cook joins Anne at MartinPatrick 3, her favorite store in Minneapolis and one of The New York Times' top 25 places to shop for apparel in the United States. Store Manager Hoss Al-Gassid leads a tour of the 30,000 square foot North Loop destination, covering its origins as an interior design firm, its hospitality-driven approach to customer service, and its curated mix of luxury apparel, niche fragrances, home furnishings, and a barber shop. Mezzenga and Cook also discuss the revitalization of the North Loop neighborhood, training sales associates to be hosts rather than salespeople, and what Mezzenga has learned working gig shifts in stores across the country. James Cook is the Head of Retail Research at JLL. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Listen: WhereWeBuy.show Email: jamesd.cook@jll.com YouTube: http://everythingweknow.show/ Read more retail research here: http://www.us.jll.com/retail Theme music is Run in the Night by The Good Lawdz, under Creative Commons license .

Jeremy Grittner and Zac Hoang with JLL work with the local 7 Brew franchisee opening new locations across the Minneapolis region. Recorded from a car in the drive-through of the brand's first metro location in Vadnais Heights, they explain why 7 Brew sees a void in a market dominated by Starbucks and Caribou Coffee, what the brand needs from a site, and why drive-through real estate is so hard to come by in Minnesota. They also break down the metro's retail geography, from the Minneapolis and St. Paul cores out to the suburban trade areas, and share their recommendations for out-of-towners. Plus, a 7 Brew taste test. James Cook is the Head of Retail Research for JLL. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Listen: WhereWeBuy.show Email: jamesd.cook@jll.com YouTube: http://everythingweknow.show/ Read more retail research here: http://www.us.jll.com/retail Theme music is Run in the Night by The Good Lawdz, under Creative Commons license .

Dallas-Fort Worth is the national leader in retail real estate construction, with retail development there running nearly 40% higher than the next closest US market and roughly seven million square feet in the pipeline. On this episode, three guests will explain what is driving it. Kenton McKeehan, President and Chief Investment Officer at Big V Property Group, and Mike Jordan, Director of Research, discuss their new open air retail development in Anna, Texas. Rob Franks, Managing Director at JLL, covers the grocery wars, record-low vacancy, and the fast-growing suburbs of Anna, Melissa, Prosper and Celina, along with the billions in tech investment near Sherman that is adding rooftops across North Texas. James Cook is the Head of Retail Research for JLL. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Listen: WhereWeBuy.show Email: jamesd.cook@jll.com YouTube: http://everythingweknow.show/ Read more retail research here: http://www.us.jll.com/retail Theme music is Run in the Night by The Good Lawdz, under Creative Commons license .

Koen Schmitz is Chief Commercial Officer at Vox AI, an Amsterdam-based voice AI company building drive-through and phone ordering agents for quick-service restaurants. Schmitz explains why most AI drive-through failures come down to implementation, and how Vox AI trains a separate model for each individual restaurant location to handle dialects, product slang, and background noise. He also covers response latency, the handoff between AI and human operators, staff reaction in real restaurants, and how order-ahead pickup could reshape drive-through design. James Cook is the Head of Retail Research for JLL. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Listen: WhereWeBuy.show Email: jamesd.cook@jll.com YouTube: http://everythingweknow.show/ Read more retail research here: http://www.us.jll.com/retail Theme music is Run in the Night by The Good Lawdz, under Creative Commons license .

Jay Douglas is Managing Director of Development at The Ardent Companies, a privately held real estate firm focused on opportunistic and diversified investment strategies, where he leads the mixed use and retail portfolio. Jay talks about projects including Westside Bottling in Durham, the Seminole Towne Center repositioning in Sanford anchored by a new Costco, and a small food and beverage development in Largo anchored by Foxtail Coffee Co. He also covers grocery anchored lifestyle centers, placemaking, entertainment tenants, and why retail should lead mixed use. James Cook is the Head of Retail Research for JLL. Keisha Virtue is the Retail Research Manager in the Americas for JLL. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Listen: WhereWeBuy.show Email: jamesd.cook@jll.com YouTube: http://everythingweknow.show/ Read more retail research here: http://www.us.jll.com/retail Theme music is Run in the Night by The Good Lawdz, under Creative Commons license .

Elizabeth Boldin Thomas is SVP of Business Transformation and Intelligence at Centennial. She talks about how the company rolled out Claude to a small cross-functional cohort, why in-person training and a group of internal influencers made the difference, and how the effort has already saved roughly 2,800 person hours a year. She also covers the distinction between AI and automation, the weekly show and tell that keeps momentum going, and why the human side of change management matters more than the technology. James Cook is the Head of Retail Research for JLL. Keisha Virtue is the Retail Research Manager in the Americas for JLL. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Listen: WhereWeBuy.show Email: jamesd.cook@jll.com YouTube: http://everythingweknow.show/ Read more retail research here: http://www.us.jll.com/retail Theme music is Run in the Night by The Good Lawdz, under Creative Commons license .

Lauren Holden is Managing Director, Head of Retail at AEW, one of the world's largest real estate investment managers, with about $40 billion under management in the US. Holden discusses AEW's retail portfolio of roughly 45 assets and 10.5 million square feet, from enclosed malls to grocery anchored neighborhood centers, and why the community center is her favorite property type. She also covers the firm's move into ground-up development, how it finds deals in a tough acquisitions market, the role of food and beverage in driving dwell time, and what she looks for when hiring a leasing or management firm. James Cook is the Director of Retail Research in the Americas for JLL. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Listen: WhereWeBuy.show Email: jamesd.cook@jll.com YouTube: http://everythingweknow.show/ Read more retail research here: http://www.us.jll.com/retail Theme music is Run in the Night by The Good Lawdz, under Creative Commons license .

Alim Uderbekov is CEO and Co-Founder of Surfaice, an AI operating system built for the full retail store lifecycle, from lease administration and CAM reconciliation to construction budgeting, punch walks, and facility management. Speaking live from the ICSC PropTech stage in Las Vegas, Uderbekov explains how pre-trained agents plug into a company's existing systems to eliminate repetitive work — by his count, roughly a million clicks to open a single store. He also discusses trust and adoption barriers in commercial real estate, his path from aerospace engineering to retail, and The Store Development AI Playbook: A Field Guide , co-authored with Schaefer Jones of the JD Sports Fashion store development team. James Cook is the Head of Retail Research for JLL. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Listen: WhereWeBuy.show Email: jamesd.cook@jll.com YouTube: http://everythingweknow.show/ Read more retail research here: http://www.us.jll.com/retail Theme music is Run in the Night by The Good Lawdz, under Creative Commons license .

Davon Barbour is President and CEO of the Downtown Austin Alliance, the organization representing over 1,200 property owners in one of the fastest-growing downtowns in America. Barbour discusses Austin's rise to the 12th largest city in the U.S., the $20 billion in public infrastructure projects reshaping downtown, and the new convention center that will be the first net zero carbon neutral facility of its kind in the world. He also covers efforts to attract experiential retail, support local businesses through construction disruption, and preserve the authentic culture of live music and local food that makes Austin unique. James Cook is the Director of Retail Research in the Americas for JLL. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Listen: WhereWeBuy.show Email: jamesd.cook@jll.com YouTube: http://everythingweknow.show/ Read more retail research here: http://www.us.jll.com/retail Theme music is Run in the Night by The Good Lawdz, under Creative Commons license .

Michael Rubenstein is CEO of Wally's, a rapidly growing travel center brand known as the "Home of the Great American Road Trip." Michael takes us on a tour of the company's third and largest location, a 53,000-square-foot facility in Whitestown, Indiana, and explains how Wally's is redefining the travel stop experience. He covers the company's origins, its retro Americana branding, an expansive food program featuring in-house chefs and made-from-scratch items, a massive retail section with original merchandise, and the real estate strategy behind site selection. Rubenstein also discusses private label products, EV charging, dwell time, and plans for a fourth location in Kansas City. James Cook is the Director of Retail Research in the Americas for JLL. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Listen: WhereWeBuy.show Email: jamesd.cook@jll.com YouTube: http://everythingweknow.show/ Read more retail research here: http://www.us.jll.com/retail Theme music is Run in the Night by The Good Lawdz, under Creative Commons license .

Raj Singh is Managing Partner at JLL Spark Global Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of JLL that has invested more than $445 million in early-stage tech startups focused on the built world. Raj explains how they evaluate and support PropTech investments, from 3D space visualization tools to AI-powered leasing assistants. He also discusses the role of proprietary data in AI, the rise of agentic commerce, and how retail real estate professionals should be thinking about technology adoption today. James Cook is the Director of Retail Research in the Americas for JLL. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Listen: WhereWeBuy.show Email: jamesd.cook@jll.com YouTube: http://everythingweknow.show/ Read more retail research here: http://www.us.jll.com/retail Theme music is Run in the Night by The Good Lawdz, under Creative Commons license .

Jennifer Hanlon is Vice President of Real Estate and Development at VEG ER for Pets, an emergency and urgent care hospital network for animals with 131 locations across 34 states and Canada. She discusses the company's rapid growth, opening roughly 30 locations per year, and its unique open-concept ER model that allows pet owners to stay with their animals throughout treatment. She also talks about what makes an ideal site, how the real estate team approaches visibility and access, and what it's been like scaling the business from the ground up over eight years. Keish Virtue is the Retail Research Manager in the Americas for JLL. James Cook is the Director of Retail Research in the Americas for JLL. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Listen: WhereWeBuy.show Email: jamesd.cook@jll.com YouTube: http://everythingweknow.show/ Read more retail research here: http://www.us.jll.com/retail Theme music is Run in the Night by The Good Lawdz, under Creative Commons license .

Choon Lee is CEO and founder of Abstra Company and Abstra Point, and has been working in artificial intelligence for fifteen years. Lee explains why generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude are not always the right solution, particularly for derivative tasks like lease abstraction and LOI summarization in commercial real estate. He breaks down the difference between generative, derivative, and analytical AI, and why using the wrong model leads to hallucinations and unreliable results. Lee also discusses the limitations of vibe coding, why subject matter experts are more important than ever, and whether AI agents are ready to be trusted with real-world tasks. Recorded live from the ICSC+PROPTECH stage in Las Vegas. James Cook is the Director of Retail Research in the Americas for JLL. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Listen: WhereWeBuy.show Email: jamesd.cook@jll.com YouTube: http://everythingweknow.show/ Read more retail research here: http://www.us.jll.com/retail Theme music is Run in the Night by The Good Lawdz, under Creative Commons license .

Amanda Metcalf is Editor-in-Chief at Commerce + Communities Today at ICSC. Her job is to stay on top of everything new and noteworthy in the world of retail real estate. Amanda shares the top five trends she is tracking, including stadium districts, medical uses at malls, nostalgia-driven retail, the evolution of specialty leasing and ancillary income, and why Chicago has become a go-to testing ground for new retail concepts. James Cook is the Director of Retail Research in the Americas for JLL. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Listen: WhereWeBuy.show Email: jamesd.cook@jll.com YouTube: http://everythingweknow.show/ Read more retail research here: http://www.us.jll.com/retail Theme music is Run in the Night by The Good Lawdz, under Creative Commons license .

L3 Capital has a simple thesis: location, location, location. They find the streets where people want to be and invest in them. James spoke with Whitney Robinette of L3 Capital about how her firm is building prime urban retail portfolios in neighborhoods like SoHo, Williamsburg, Gold Coast, and Fulton Market. They dig into what makes a great urban retail location, why luxury brands are heading to unexpected places, and how tenant relationships drive the entire strategy. James Cook is the Director of Retail Research in the Americas for JLL. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Listen: WhereWeBuy.show Email: jamesd.cook@jll.com YouTube: http://everythingweknow.show/ Read more retail research here: http://www.us.jll.com/retail Theme music is Run in the Night by The Good Lawdz, under Creative Commons license .

Zack Teachout and Austin Mayer are with Hovercraft, a creative design practice that builds brand experiences for clients like Nike, Coinbase, Taco Bell, and BetMGM. They explain what it takes to get people away from their screens and into the real world. They share how Hovercraft designs retail spaces, temporary activations, and immersive installations that blend physical environments with technology. The conversation covers standout projects including a robotic basketball experience for Coinbase at NBA All-Star, a golf tournament activation for Taco Bell and Bad Birdie, and an interactive LED basketball court built inside an abandoned Las Vegas nightclub for BetMGM. Teachout and Mayer also discuss how they measure success, why shorter timelines often produce their best work, and the principles behind creating experiences that draw people in and keep them engaged. James Cook is the Director of Retail Research in the Americas for JLL. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Listen: WhereWeBuy.show Email: jamesd.cook@jll.com YouTube: http://everythingweknow.show/ Read more retail research here: http://www.us.jll.com/retail Theme music is Run in the Night by The Good Lawdz, under Creative Commons license .

Recording live from the JLL booth in the final hours of ICSC Las Vegas 2026, Naveen Jaggi, President, Retail Advisory Services for the Americas at JLL joins James Cook and Keisha Virtue to sum up the trends and themes from the largest commercial real estate conference in the world. Naveen shares his take on the state of retail leasing and the surprising resurgence of Class B and C malls. He also discusses the stressed consumer, the rise of value and discount retailers, the explosive growth of entertainment concepts in retail spaces, the expansion of Korean beauty and cosmetics brands into the US market, and how global retail markets compare. Keisha Virtue is the Retail Research Manager in the Americas for JLL. James Cook is the Director of Retail Research in the Americas for JLL. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Listen: WhereWeBuy.show Email: jamesd.cook@jll.com YouTube: http://everythingweknow.show/ Read more retail research here: http://www.us.jll.com/retail Theme music is Run in the Night by The Good Lawdz, under Creative Commons license .

Naked Farmer is a fast casual restaurant chain that launched in Florida about six years ago with a plan to offer good meals with ingredients sourced from local farms. CEO and founder Jordan Johnson explains how the company builds direct relationships with Southeast farmers, plans seasonal menus nine to 12 months in advance, and applies fine dining culinary techniques in a fast casual setting. Johnson also discusses the company's origin story, including pivoting to a digital farmer's market during the pandemic, the challenges of entering new markets like Nashville and Charlotte, what makes an ideal restaurant location, and upcoming spring menu items like crispy sesame tofu and cucumber ranch salad. Now with 10 locations across Florida, North Carolina, and Tennessee, Johnson shares his vision for scaling regionally while keeping the mission of fixing the food supply system at the center of the brand. James Cook is the Director of Retail Research in the Americas for JLL. James Cook is the director of retail research in the Americas for JLL. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Listen: WhereWeBuy.show Email: jamesd.cook@jll.com YouTube: http://everythingweknow.show/ Read more retail research here: http://www.us.jll.com/retail Theme music is Run in the Night by The Good Lawdz, under Creative Commons license .

Mike Bennett was an unemployed artist in Portland, Oregon when he created a public art project that captured the imagination of the city during the pandemic. He then created art popups in increasingly large retail spaces, then Wonderwood Indoor Mini Golf & Cafe, and then The Portland Aquarium, an indoor cartoon aquarium. Bennett and his business partner Teddy Albertson discuss these spaces, their plans for their new Zooquarium brand, and how they're turning vacant retail spaces into community-driven immersive destinations that are getting national attention. James Cook is the Director of Retail Research in the Americas for JLL. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Listen: WhereWeBuy.show Email: jamesd.cook@jll.com YouTube: http://everythingweknow.show/ Read more retail research here: http://www.us.jll.com/retail Theme music is Run in the Night by The Good Lawdz, under Creative Commons license .

Sam Wang is Co-Founder and CEO of Mirra Immersive LLC, the creator of Mirra Arena, a competitive social VR arena that combines multiplayer active gameplay with large-format LED spectator displays. Wang explains how he and his partner conceived the concept during the pandemic and built a proprietary system where up to eight players compete in VR while friends watch the action on a massive screen in real time. He covers the company's flagship venue in Bellevue, Washington, its expansion through licensing deals in China, and the challenge of making location-based entertainment profitable. Wang also discusses the role of AI in personalizing the game experience and how his background in film, including work on Jackie Chan movies and the 2008 Beijing Olympic opening ceremony, shaped his approach to creating cinematic, accessible games for a broad audience. James Cook is the Director of Retail Research in the Americas for JLL. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Listen: WhereWeBuy.show Email: jamesd.cook@jll.com YouTube: http://everythingweknow.show/ Read more retail research here: http://www.us.jll.com/retail Theme music is Run in the Night by The Good Lawdz, under Creative Commons license .