Consultants Hired to Conduct Downtown Retail Recruitment Strategy and Marketing Action Plan

In November 2002, the Downtown Long Beach Associates (DLBA) held comprehensive interviews with several organizations for consideration of developing a Downtown Retail Recruitment Strategy and Marketing Action Plan. Selections were finalized in December 2002 with finalists Talbot Consultants International Inc. chosen to develop the Retail Recruitment Strategy and Cohn Marketing Group chosen to develop the Marketing Action Plan. Both consultants will be working with research analysts from H. Blount Hunter Retail and Real Estate Research Company to develop the consumer and retailer data imperative to the creation of these plans.

Retail Recruitment Strategy

As Downtown Long Beach's revitalization continues to grow within the retail, commercial, and residential sectors, it becomes apparent that a more critical mass of people and services will build within the Downtown core. As a result, the DLBA and the City of Long Beach are committed towards developing a retail strategy to effectively plan and manage this growth, while also taking advantage of the synergy of the Downtown market.

Talbot Consultants International Inc. was selected as the finalist to develop the Retail Recruitment

Strategy. Founded in 1970, Talbot Consultants is an international market research, analysis and strategy development firm providing consulting services to government, property owners, developers and retailers world-wide. Their development consulting practice is focused on the planning and marketing of downtown revitalizations. Essentially, Talbot Consultants will be charged with creating an "over-arching" retail recruitment program, providing a framework for further retail growth and attraction based on current and future Downtown conditions, and establishing a corresponding action plan in response to retail site-selection criteria and market conditions.

Marketing Action Plan

With so many variables pushing and pulling the Downtown areas in different directions, the scope of DLBA's marketing efforts needs to positively grow in the direction of implementing strong "branded" programs that serve the overall interests of Downtown Long Beach stakeholders. It is the DLBA's mission to create a strategic Marketing Action Plan that will help strengthen the broad-based programs and services within the central business district.

Cohn Marketing Group was selected to develop the Downtown Marketing Action Plan. Founded in 2000, Cohn Marketing Group is an integrated marketing services company with an operating structure that blends the best of advertising agencies, public relations firms and marketing consulting firms. Having worked in corporate and agency leadership positions with a focus on tourism, downtown Business Improvement Districts, real estate, and shopping centers, and retailers, Cohn Marketing Group has fast become one of the nation's leading marketing strategists. Both the Retail Recruitment Strategy and Marketing Action Plan will be developed over the next 6-12 months.