Independent Advisory Practice

John Fox

Fox Real Estate Advisory

Retail location strategy and analytics for brands that grow with discipline.

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20+
Years Experience
100+
Sites Evaluated Annually
50+
Institutional Clients

About

Where analytics meets real estate judgment

Fox Real Estate Advisory provides independent retail real estate strategy, location analytics, and market intelligence consulting to retailers, investors, developers, and municipalities. With over two decades in the field — from Simon Property Group and Kite Realty to leading the analytics platform at National Vision — the practice brings institutional-grade rigor to every engagement.

For retailers and restaurant brands, that means site selection and expansion analytics grounded in how consumers actually behave — not just how a trade area scores on paper. For investors and capital markets clients, it means current, ground-level intelligence on store performance, market saturation, and portfolio quality that no financial model alone can provide. For landlords, developers, and municipalities, it means retailer-side perspective on what drives tenants to choose — or avoid — a location.

That perspective is built on analysis across 1,100+ store locations and the conviction that optical, healthcare, and specialty retail behave as destination formats — requiring a fundamentally different analytical lens than standard retail site selection models.

2015 –
Present
Head of Real Estate Strategy & Analytics
National Vision, Inc. — America's Best
2009 –
2015
Founder & Principal
Fox Real Estate Advisory
2006 –
2009
Vice President, Research
Kite Realty Group Trust
1997 –
2006
Real Estate Research Manager
Simon Property Group

Services

What the practice delivers

Engagements are structured around specific business needs — from discrete market studies and investment research briefs to full-cycle expansion analytics support for growing brands.

Retailers & Restaurants
Growing brands that need institutional-grade site selection, market prioritization, and expansion analytics — whether building internal capability or supplementing it.
Investors & Analysts
Buy-side and sell-side analysts, hedge funds, and PE firms evaluating retail or REIT investments. Current ground-level intelligence on store performance, market saturation, and expansion runway.
Landlords & Developers
Property owners, developers, and REITs assessing tenant demand, trade area feasibility, and retail repositioning. Twenty years on the retailer side of the table informs every recommendation.
Municipalities
Cities and economic development agencies identifying retail demand gaps, attracting commercial development, and assessing market viability for community planning initiatives.
01
Site Selection & Scoring
Geospatial modeling and trade area analysis to identify, rank, and prioritize development opportunities. Integrates demographic data, foot traffic intelligence, and competitive density into a coherent site score framework calibrated to your brand.
02
Market Entry & Greenfield Strategy
Systematic identification of underserved markets with expansion potential. Includes county-level demand analysis, DMA mapping, competitive white space assessment, and sequenced market entry recommendations.
03
Investment & Diligence Research
Retail real estate intelligence for investors evaluating store-level performance, portfolio quality, market saturation, and expansion runway. Structured for buy-side analysts, PE diligence teams, and institutional capital markets research.
04
Portfolio Strategy & Triage
Systematic review of existing store portfolios to identify performance outliers, lease renewal priorities, and relocation candidates. Benchmarks real estate quality against actual sales performance to surface what the standard metrics miss.
05
Competitive & Market Intelligence
Mapping and analysis of competitor footprints, market concentration, and whitespace opportunity. Delivered as geocoded datasets, density maps, or strategic narrative summaries for executive presentations, investment memos, or development prospectuses.
06
Retail Feasibility & Development Advisory
Trade area demand studies, tenant mix analysis, and retail feasibility assessments for landlords, developers, and municipalities. Grounded in retailer-side analytics — the perspective that determines whether a center succeeds or struggles.

Areas of Expertise

Built for destination retail

Most site selection frameworks were designed for impulse retail. The practice specializes in brands and investors where consumer intent drives location performance — optical, healthcare, specialty food, personal services, and growing restaurant concepts — where trade area behavior is fundamentally different from standard retail scoring models.

Optical Retail QSR & Fast Casual Specialty Retail Natural Grocery Health & Wellness Franchise Development Off-Price Retail Beverage Concepts Retail REITs Mixed-Use Development Investment Research Economic Development
Analytical Capabilities
Mobile & Foot Traffic Analytics  ·  Site Location Modeling  ·  Market Screening & Prioritization  ·  Portfolio Analysis & Strategic Positioning
Research Methods
Geospatial & GIS Analysis  ·  Demographic & Trade Area Modeling  ·  Competitive Mapping  ·  Sales Forecasting & Benchmarking
Deliverable Formats
Executive Committee Presentations  ·  Investment Research Briefs  ·  Market Feasibility Studies  ·  Strategic Expansion Roadmaps
Professional Affiliations
ICSC — Former Chairman, Research Conference
Urban Land Institute — Research Committee

Contact

Let's discuss your next project

Available for project-based engagements, advisory retainers, and investment research briefs. Use the form below or reach out directly by phone.

Phone
Email
jfox@foxreadvisory.com
Location
Atlanta, Georgia Area
Availability
Project & Retainer Engagements