DC Delegation Descends on Las Vegas to Attract Retailers to the District
Contact: Tiffany Thacker
Manager, Development & Communications
Washington, DC Economic Partnership
202.661.8678
DC Delegation Descends on Las Vegas to Attract Retailers to the District
Mayor Gray, Council, DMPED, & the WDCEP Lead Trade Mission to ICSC RECon in Vegas
Last month, Mayor Vincent Gray, Councilmembers, city officials and community partners joined the Washington, DC Economic Partnership (WDCEP) at the International Council of Shopping Centers’ (ICSC) RECon Convention in Las Vegas – the largest retail industry convention in the world. The DC delegation joined over 33,000 retail industry professionals at the convention to communicate to the entire retail development community that DC is a primary growth market with major development projects and neighborhoods ready to support new retail investment.
According to the International Council of Shopping Centers, “over 50% of the industry’s annual retail real estate leases are conceived or consummated during RECon.” This year in particular was an impressive year for the District. In two days, the delegation held over 80 scheduled meetings with retail and restaurant representatives and talked with over 400 individuals who walked into the District’s booth, a 45% increase from last year’s booth visitors. WDCEP’s annual Capital Reception, a gathering of real estate professionals, retailers, and District government officials celebrating DC’s vibrant retail economy hosted a record-breaking 500 attendees excited about the development and investment activity experienced in the District.
“This year was a banner year for the District at ICSC,” says Keith Sellars, President & CEO of Washington, DC Economic Partnership. “With a record number of people attending the Capital Reception and visiting our booth, we heard over and over again that the District is on the top of retailers’ list of places they want to expand. Worldwide, retailers are realizing that D.C. is a hot retail market and they want to know where and how they can expand their business into the city.”
This year, the delegation focused their efforts on promoting retail opportunities in Wards 5, 7, and 8, as well as major development projects throughout the city, including Saint Elizabeths East Campus, Walter Reed, and Shops at Dakota Crossing. Meetings were held with a variety of retailers including restaurants, grocery stores, European men’s wear, gyms, movie theaters, pharmacies, specialty stores and big-box retailers.
The District government and the WDCEP’s attendance at ICSC conventions for the past 14 years have led to deals that landed many of the popular retailers and restaurants seen in the District today, including Harris Teeter, Target, Best Buy, Trader Joes, among many others. Since the convention, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) and the WDCEP have followed-up on meetings held at the convention to move forward deals throughout the city.
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It is the mission of the Washington, DC Economic Partnership, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, to promote business opportunities throughout the District of Columbia and to contribute to business retention and attraction activities.