Chicago: the Magnificent Mile and Beyond - Where We Buy #374
Where We Buy: Retail Real Estate with James Cook
Release Date: 03/20/2026
The Opposite of a Flash Mob: Inconspicuous Games - Where We Buy #403
Where We Buy: Retail Real Estate with James Cook
Molly Sonsteng and Sam Utne are co-founders of Madcap Factory, a creative studio that designs amusingly eccentric experiences for brands, organizations, and communities. Sonsteng and Utne explain Inconspicuous Games, their secret version of capture the flag played in venues like Grand Central Terminal and Mall of America, and how property owners can use play to activate space without disrupting daily operations. They also cover layered revenue, the Minneapolis Activation Lab, and why people are craving community in physical spaces. James Cook is the Head of Retail Research at JLL. ...
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Why Canada Doesn't Have Dead Malls - Where We Buy #402
Where We Buy: Retail Real Estate with James Cook
James Cook heads to Toronto to catch up with Vince Brown and Paul Lessner to learn more about the current state of Canadian shopping centers. They talk about the fallout from the closure of Hudson's Bay department stores, the new anchors drawing shoppers into malls, and the rise of value retailers. They also discuss the impact of tariffs, high construction costs, and how immigration and housing affordability are shaping retail. Vince Brown is Executive Managing Director, Property Management at JLL. Paul Lessner is EVP, National Shopping Centre Leasing at JLL. James Cook is the Head of...
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Calm Stores, Happy Shoppers - Where We Buy #401
Where We Buy: Retail Real Estate with James Cook
The JLL Design team joins the show to discuss their new report, Resetting the Retail (Algo)rhythm, which finds that shoppers are overwhelmed by too many choices, screens, and sensory noise. Representing four generations, from Gen Z to Boomers, the team explains how shopping attitudes differ by age, why seven in 10 millennials will walk out of an overstimulating store, and how retailers can design calmer spaces through curation, storytelling, and fewer screens. They also cover employee wellbeing, noting that 82% of retail employees want stores designed with their needs in mind. Guests from JLL...
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MartinPatrick 3 Is One of the Best Stores in the Country - Where We Buy #400
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....
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Twin Cities Retail from the Drive-Through Lane - Where We Buy #399
Where We Buy: Retail Real Estate with James Cook
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....
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Why Dallas-Fort Worth Is Building More Retail Than Anywhere Else - Where We Buy #398
Where We Buy: Retail Real Estate with James Cook
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,...
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The AI Drive-Through That Trains Itself - Where We Buy #397
Where We Buy: Retail Real Estate with James Cook
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...
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Retail Repositioning with The Ardent Companies - Where We Buy #396
Where We Buy: Retail Real Estate with James Cook
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...
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Rolling out New Tech Without the Pushback - Where We Buy #395
Where We Buy: Retail Real Estate with James Cook
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...
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AEW's Retail Strategy with Lauren Holden - Where We Buy #394
Where We Buy: Retail Real Estate with James Cook
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...
info_outlineWalter Wahlfeldt is Midwest Retail Lead at JLL. He discusses the state of retail real estate in Chicago, from the recovery of the central business district to the evolving Magnificent Mile. He covers return-to-office trends, shifting retail rents, the grocery wars heating up in the market, and what makes Chicago a top-five destination for expanding retailers. Wahlfeldt also shares lessons from his own experience as a former bakery owner and what he looks for when evaluating retail concepts.
James Cook is the Director of Retail Research in the Americas for JLL.
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Theme music is Run in the Night by The Good Lawdz, under Creative Commons license.