Creating Retail Maps for Lease Proposals

A retail map can give prospective tenants visual context for co-tenancy, access, and nearby businesses. It is not proof of traffic, sales, demand, tenant success, or a likely lease outcome; cite appropriate sources for those claims.

Why Retail Maps Belong in Lease Proposals

An inline tenant may review visibility, access, surrounding businesses, and other site criteria. A map can organize selected nearby locations, while the tenant's underwriting still depends on its own requirements and verified evidence.

A map can help move the discussion from basic orientation to questions about fit. Tenant underwriting still depends on the tenant's criteria and verified market, financial, physical, and legal information.

What Tenants Actually Evaluate in a Location

Site-selection criteria vary by tenant. Confirm the intended tenant's actual requirements rather than inferring them from nearby businesses or a generic map.

Co-Tenancy and Complementary Uses

When co-tenancy is relevant to the assignment, group verified businesses by category or location so the selected context is easy to review. Do not infer tenant performance, spillover traffic, or lease outcomes from proximity alone.

Anchor Proximity and Access Patterns

Tenants may need to understand access and parking. Pair the retail map with a current site plan or aerial when the assignment calls for:

• Verified outparcels and nearby businesses
• Primary ingress and egress points
• Adjacent roads and relevant landmarks
• Sightlines that have been checked on site or in current imagery

Reviewed brand artwork can make anchors easier to identify. Verify the tenant, location, and artwork before distribution.

The Surrounding Retail Ecosystem

A tenant may compare verified nearby businesses with its own site-selection model. Market density, competitive gaps, and demand require a separately sourced analysis; the retail map shows only the businesses selected for the visual.

Building Effective Retail Maps for Lease Proposals

Here is a workflow for building and reviewing the visual in CRE Retail Maps. The step-by-step guides cover the editor controls.

1. Drop the subject property pin: Start by plotting your available space and labeling it clearly (e.g., "2,400 SF Inline Space - Suite 100").
2. Search nearby businesses: Search the visible map area by category, review the results, and select relevant locations.
3. Review brand artwork: Search artwork candidates and verify the proposed match before placement.
4. Organize with drag-to-group containers: Group logos into logical clusters, such as "Outparcel Anchors," "Inline Tenants," and "Pad Buildings," so the map reads clearly.
5. Style and export: Choose among nine styles and add leader lines. Pro supports 2D PNG/JPG up to 8,000 pixels, 3D images up to 4,096 pixels, and five PDF layouts.

Choosing the Right Visual Style for Your Audience

Choose a style that keeps the subject property and reviewed locations readable at the size used in the proposal.

Using Map Styles to Match Brokerage Branding

Use consistent styling when the proposal requires it. CRE Retail Maps offers nine map styles, including light, dark, satellite, silver, and retro; choose a base and leader-line treatment that keeps reviewed businesses and the subject property readable.

Elevating Your Tenant Proposal Presentation

A standard proposal package may include rent roll, CAM reconciliations, and a site plan. A readable map can make the location section easier to review, but this article does not attribute listing wins or tenant decisions to that map.

A reviewed retail map can be embedded in an OM, pitch deck, or supplementary exhibit. Include enough labels, sources, and context that a reader can understand what is shown without a presenter. See our guide to retail maps for offering memorandums.

Integrating Maps into OMs and Pitch Decks

A dedicated retail-map tool and a GIS platform serve different jobs. Verify current competitor features and pricing directly rather than relying on this article. CRE Retail Maps Free supports building and previewing up to three maps; Pro is currently $39 per month or $379 per year and includes unlimited maps and downloads.

Conclusion

A reviewed retail map can answer basic location and co-tenancy questions in one visual. Keep performance claims tied to evidence and use the map as one component of the full lease proposal, not as a promise of tenant success or faster closing.