We fill the gaps in order to solve real estate
expansion obstacles, which we see as opportunities
Serving as an extension of your corporate team with the full capabilities of an outsourced real estate department, our team integrates as a cohesive part of your brand. Founded in 2009 in Austin, Texas, The Retail Strategy provides outsourced real estate management services for franchise and corporate retail and restaurant brands — assigning a dedicated real estate manager to each client to handle market planning, site approval, lease negotiation, portfolio oversight, and recurring reporting across 48+ states.
rem-content-imgConsistent communication and guidance through the ebbs and flows of each real estate transaction is critical to making the lease and contract execution process run smoothly.
Our purpose is to make the entire real estate process seamless whether you are a corporate or franchised brand. We provide a clear roadmap throughout the process and a smooth transition to the construction phase.
Giving your brand what it needs
A Dedicated RE ManagerRE Manager
Franchise Real Estate GuidanceEstate Guidance
Landlord Overview Brand Books
In-depth Tour Books & Real Estate Scorecards
LOI Templates Real Estate Key Terms
Market Tour SupportSupport
Customized Real Estate Approval Packages
Robust and Recurring Data ReportingOur Services in Detail
- Dedicated RE Manager — Your single point of contact, integrated into your corporate team to oversee all real estate activity and ensure consistent communication.
- Franchise Real Estate Guidance — Support for franchisees navigating site selection and lease negotiations while coordinating franchisor standards.
- Landlord Overview Brand Books — Professional documents presenting your brand’s history, growth, and tenant qualifications to strengthen lease proposals.
- Tour Books & Real Estate Scorecards — Detailed market tour documentation with site evaluations, scoring criteria, photos, and comparative analysis.
- LOI Templates & Real Estate Key Terms — Standardized letter of intent templates and lease term frameworks built to protect tenant interests.
- Market Tour Support — On-the-ground coordination for site tours, including scheduling, routing, and real-time evaluation assistance.
- Customized Real Estate Approval Packages — Tailored packages with site recommendations, supporting data, and financial analysis for internal approvals.
- Recurring Data Reporting — Regular reporting on portfolio status, lease timelines, market activity, and expansion progress.
- Franchise Real Estate Guidance — Support for franchisees navigating site selection and lease negotiations, coordinating between franchisor standards and franchisee market needs to streamline expansion.
- Landlord Overview Brand Books — Professional documents that present the brand’s history, growth trajectory, and tenant qualifications to landlords, strengthening lease proposals and improving negotiation outcomes.
- Tour Books & Real Estate Scorecards — Detailed documentation for each market tour including site evaluations, scoring criteria, photos, and comparative analysis to support informed decision-making.
- LOI Templates & Real Estate Key Terms — Standardized letter of intent templates and lease term frameworks designed to protect tenant interests and accelerate lease negotiations.
- Market Tour Support — On-the-ground coordination for site tours including scheduling, routing, and real-time evaluation assistance to optimize site selection processes.
- Customized Real Estate Approval Packages — Tailored packages for internal approval processes that present site recommendations with supporting data, market context, and financial analysis to facilitate decision-making.
- Recurring Data Reporting — Regular reporting on portfolio status, lease timelines, market activity, and expansion progress to keep stakeholders informed and aligned.
Frequently Asked Questions
Retail real estate portfolio management includes tracking lease expirations, managing renewals and renegotiations, monitoring occupancy costs across all locations, coordinating with brokers on new site searches, and providing regular reporting to leadership. For franchise and corporate brands., this ensures no lease falls through the cracks and every real estate decision aligns with growth strategy.
An outsourced real estate team provides the same functions as an internal department — lease management, site selection, market analysis, and vendor coordination — but without the overhead of full-time salaries, benefits, and office space. For growing brands, outsourcing is often more cost-effective and provides access to broader market expertise than a small internal team can offer.
A typical retainer includes a dedicated account manager, market planning support, lease tracking and renewal management, reporting, and coordination with brokerage and location intelligence teams. The scope depends on the brand’s size and growth pace — some clients need full portfolio oversight while others need support only during active expansion periods.
A letter of intent (LOI) is a non-binding document submitted to a landlord that outlines the tenant’s proposed lease terms — including rent, square footage, tenant improvement allowances, lease duration, and exclusivity clauses. It serves as the starting point for formal lease negotiations.
A dedicated real estate manager acts as an extension of the client’s corporate team, handling day-to-day real estate operations including site tours, letter of intent preparation, lease negotiation coordination, and ongoing reporting. This model ensures consistent communication and eliminates the need for brands to hire an internal real estate team.
Franchise brands typically consider outsourcing when they are expanding into multiple new markets simultaneously, finding that their existing team can’t keep pace with growth, or looking to consolidate real estate functions under one team. Outsourcing allows brands to access experienced real estate professionals, proven processes, and data-driven tools without the time and cost of building an internal department from scratch.