City of Cedar Rapids, Iowa Strengthens Retail Economic Development Program Through New Partnership

Will work with analytics firm Buxton to recruit and retain retailers

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Mar 12, 2015, 10:25 ET

FORT WORTH, Texas, March 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The City of Cedar Rapids, Iowa today announced that it will work with analytics firm Buxton to strengthen its retail economic development program citywide. Buxton's household-level customer analytics will identify the top 20 retailers and restaurants most likely to thrive in Cedar Rapids and provide insights into development opportunities.

While retail economic development programs have traditionally relied on basic demographic information, Cedar Rapids will utilize customer insights that go beyond demographics, presenting a convincing case to retailers seeking growth opportunities. Buxton's proprietary web-based real estate platform SCOUT^® will give local leaders the ability to analyze retail matches and provide market intelligence to existing local businesses.

"Cedar Rapids is committed to offering residents quality shopping and dining opportunities," said Jasmine Almoayed, economic development liaison for the City of Cedar Rapids. "By partnering with Buxton, we will have the market intelligence needed to attract new businesses and help our existing businesses thrive."

"The City of Cedar Rapids is taking a proactive approach to retail development," said Ryon Stewart, director of Buxton's public sector division. "Buxton is pleased to provide the analytics needed to evaluate new development and redevelopment opportunities in this vibrant community."

Buxton has worked with more than 650 cities nationwide to implement retail development strategies. Client cities include Pasadena, California; Bloomington, Illinois; Fayetteville, North Carolina and many others.

About Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is a vibrant urban hometown in the heart of east central Iowa. As the second largest city in the state, Cedar Rapids is home to more than 126,000 residents and boasts an MSA population of more than 256,000. Cedar Rapids is home to almost 300 different manufacturing plants and two dozen Fortune 500 companies.

For more information, visit www.cedar-rapids.org.

About Buxton

Buxton is the industry leader in customer analytics. We help businesses understand who their customers are, where their customers are located, and how to grow the value of each customer. More than 3,000 clients in the retail, restaurant, healthcare, private equity, and public sectors have relied on our insights to guide their growth strategies. Clients include GNC, Anthropologie and Marriott.

For more information, visit www.buxtonco.com.