In the ever-evolving landscape of retail, lifestyle centers have garnered attention as the modern successors of traditional malls. Poag Development Group has remained at the forefront of this movement since successfully pioneering the trend decades ago. 

To cement its position as a top retail developer, Poag recognized the powerful opportunity to evolve its offering and deepen its appeal to institutional investors. Poag sought to acquire standout properties, elevate the consumer experience, raise occupancy rates and rents and ensure consistent processes across its eight-property portfolio.

Poag looked to JLL for advice on new types of acquisition targets like enclosed malls, performing pre-leasing of new developments, and management and leasing of its properties. Poag also tapped JLL to advise on sustainability programs and short-term leasing, while also curating event calendars and creating dynamic social media campaigns that were all integrated into a full-service offering–an offering that allowed Poag to expand its portfolio by 25%, diversify its properties and operate with new efficiency.

JLL’s dedicated experts hit the ground running. In just the first 12 months of the Poag-JLL relationship, Poag saw average portfolio base rents on new deals grow more than $10 per square foot. The team executed 120 leases totaling 555,000 square feet across Poag’s portfolio, 48 of which are new tenants. JLL also helped Poag assess two additional acquisitions that were successfully completed during this time, bringing the total portfolio size to 10.

One property in particular — LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch in Katy, TX — has emerged as a blueprint for success. This 412,900-square-foot lifestyle center, located about 30 minutes from downtown Houston, needed a renewed focus to meet the experience-focused needs of today’s consumers.

As property managers, JLL helped Poag continue to elevate LaCenterra hospitality-minded staffing. The result is a high level of service that keeps shoppers coming back. The property’s Google rating is an impressive 4.6.

Sustainability is an important focus for the management team at LaCenterra, and JLL’s sustainability experts have worked closely with Poag to put an effective and actionable plan in place. Notably, a new long-term lease with Tesla has brought 18 Tesla and universal EV charging stations to the property.

LaCenterra has achieved the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) designation as a Certified Sustainable Property as a direct result of the team’s environmentally focused approach.