Ridgeland hires firm to identify economic development opportunities
Ridgeland loses about $85 million in retail sales each year as consumers leave the area for their shopping, a consulting firm told Town Council last month. Council members have approved a contract for the firm to help keep more of those dollars in town.
“There’s $85 million in retail sales leaving Ridgeland each year,” Lacey Bacchus of the consulting firm Retail Strategies told council. “… Keep the dollars local, add jobs and add to the quality of life by giving your residents and constituents in the community more options.”
Council unanimously approved a three-year contract with Retail Strategies.
Bacchus said the firm helps municipalities identify real estate and economic development opportunities. One similar-sized South Carolina city it has been working with is Manning, she said.
“What we do is start with an in-depth data analysis looking at the market. When we use the term ‘market’ or ‘trade area,’ we are not looking at a city or town’s municipal boundaries. People come in and out of cities and towns to shop, to work, to eat, to play, or they are just passing through on the interstate or highway.”
Lacey Bacchus
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