BIRMINGHAM, AL (September 14, 2026) – The City of Payson, Utah has selected Retail Strategies, the national expert in retail recruitment for communities, to develop and execute a proactive retail recruitment strategy on behalf of the city. The three-year partnership will position Payson to attract the national retail, and restaurant brands its growing market can support.
“Payson is growing fast, and our residents deserve retail options that match that growth,” said Robert Mills, Assistant City Manager for the City of Payson. “We have invested in strong market data, but data alone doesn’t recruit retailers. Partnering with Retail Strategies gives us a dedicated team of real estate professionals doing the outreach on our behalf, so our investments start producing results.”
Located about 70 miles south of Salt Lake City at the southern end of the Provo-Orem metro area, Payson is home to roughly 25,500 residents, with household growth projected at 11 percent over the next five years. National retail development has not kept pace with that demand. Retail Strategies will pair its national retailer network and licensed real estate professionals with the city’s existing data investments to convert Payson’s growth into recruited tenants, with a focus on the city’s Interstate 15 exit corridors primed for national retail expansion.
The engagement includes a tailored retail recruitment plan, proactive outreach to retailers, brokers, and developers matched to specific sites, and representation of the Payson market at national and regional dealmaking conferences. Retail Strategies will also conduct outreach on vacancies in Payson’s historic two-block downtown, connecting available spaces with regional operators and well-suited national prospects.
“Payson checks every box a national retailer looks for: strong household growth, interstate access, and city leadership committed to a consistent, strategic recruitment effort,” said Kate Havlik, Director of Community Partnerships at Retail Strategies. “The city has done the hard work of understanding its market. Our job is to put that knowledge in front of the right decision-makers and bring deals across the finish line.”
Retail Strategies has worked with more than 1,000 communities across the United States, helping cities throughout the Mountain West and beyond turn market potential into new businesses, jobs, and tax revenue.
About Retail Strategies
Retail Strategies is the national expert in retail recruitment and community development. Our mission is to provide the real estate expertise, tools, and human effort that position deserving communities as attractive locations for retailers, restaurants, and commercial investment. Acting as an extension of local staff, Retail Strategies combines market analysis, retail outreach, and industry relationships to help communities recruit businesses that strengthen local economies and improve quality of life. Retail Strategies has partnered with more than 1,000 communities across the United States to turn retail opportunities into real economic development outcomes.
