<div class="date">Visioneers:</div>
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<div class="date">A friend passed this on to me. I thought it would make for interesting conversation on the VIZ. It is from <a href="http://communityid.buxtonco.com/?p=124">http://communityid.buxtonco.com/?p=124</a></div>
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<div class="date">Buxton Company does market research.</div>
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<div class="date">October 31st, 2007</div>
<h2><a title="Permalink" href="http://communityid.buxtonco.com/?p=124">Which comes first? Industry or Retail</a></h2>
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<p><img src="http://communityid.buxtonco.com/images/industryretail.jpg" align="left">The relationship between industry and retail is closer than one might think. It's much like the chicken and egg equation. A strong industrial sector can provide jobs. Jobs mean residents, and residents mean more retail. But industries have shown a reluctance to move into areas without a strong retail sector in place to provide for its employees' eating and shopping needs. Small markets in areas around the US have become prime relocation areas for industry. Moving from busy and expensive urban areas a industry can cost effectively move out to a rural community that provides a better quality of life for its employees and more cost effective means of doing business for its company. Small communities recognize this need and try to recruit industry with open arms.
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<p>One of the biggest hurdles to overcome for these small cities is their lack of retail that is needed to provide a good quality of life for the incoming employees. The thing is that industries would love to come into a small town, but if that town doesn't offer convenient places to shop and eat the employees will not be happy with the move and begin to look for other jobs. Communities have found themselves doing everything they can to quickly bolster their retail sector knowing that will be one of the first things that company will look at. Solid retail growth takes time to build up. It is not something you can do overnight. Your community might be able to put together a great incentive package but also having a great retail sector will put you ahead of other small markets that lack retail.
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<p>If you're looking to recruit new industry now, take time to look at your retail sector. You can be assured incoming industry will be doing the same thing. </p>
<div class="postedby"><span style="COLOR: #00704a">Posted by</span> Tim <span></span><span></span>Keith</div></div>