Brookfield Properties-Retail-Retailvisory Home

Additional rent

Any costs for a tenant in addition to the “minimum rent” outlined in your lease, such as operating expenses, taxes, and utilities.

Anchor store

A larger tenant — think department store — that occupies the biggest portions of a shopping center’s real estate space. They are often located on the ends of the mall.

Breakpoint

In lease structures that are based on “percentage rent,” this is the point where you start paying the percentage beyond the agreed minimum rent. Breakpoints can be natural (minimum rent divided by percentage rent) or artificial (determined during negotiations). If your breakpoint is never met, you’re only obligated to pay the minimum rent.

Capital

A broad term referring to all assets that add value to a business. Capital can be borrowed loans, real estate equity, intellectual property such as patents, money, or company equipment.

Cart/retail merchandising units (RMU)

Retail carts or retail merchandising units (RMU) are small-scale and short-term specialty leasing units often found in common areas that are ideal for brands looking to expand with limited time and financial investment. They provide a portable and more affordable retail option than traditional storefront leasing, allowing you to set up shop in a few easy steps!

Commencement date/lease commencement date

The date on which a lease becomes effective, and a tenant begins paying rent. Note that this is not the date of when your store officially opens.

Common area maintenance (CAM)

The physical work done to maintain the common areas of the property. Costs are typically charged back to tenants and outlined in a lease.

Cost

The monetary value that has been spent by a company to produce something. Cost includes all expenses incurred in the production process, such as raw materials, labor, utilities, and overhead costs. Accurately calculating costs is necessary to determine pricing and profitability.

Co-tenant/co-tenancy

These are your fellow retailers. It’s important to know about your co-tenants because while some may be competitors, their success can boost your business as well, and their struggles could hurt your own foot traffic. There may be co-tenancy clauses in your lease that could alter terms based on the performance of your co-tenants.

Dark rent

This is when you end up paying rent without your store being open. Business owners get stuck with dark rent if they sign a lease but aren’t ready to open by the commencement date, having to pay while still doing construction or planning. We don’t want this! Make sure to follow our Retailvisory tips so that this doesn’t happen to you.

Delivery condition

The condition that the retail space must be in when the landlord delivers it to you. Some examples of a delivery condition include As-Is: space is delivered in its current condition; Vanilla Shell: close to finished space with white walls; Gray Shell: spaces without electrical, HVAC, restrooms, elevators, etc. — it’s essentially a blank canvas; Turnkey: all remodeling is complete and ready to move in.

Delivery or possession date

The date on which the landlord must have the space ready for you to start construction.

Doing business as (DBA)

Using a DBA is a way to conduct business without using your personal name or your business’s formal legal name. You will be asked for your DBA during the lease process, as it is the name that will appear on any storefront signage and directories.

Effective rent

The total rent paid by a tenant to a landlord, which includes “minimum rent” plus any “additional rent” and/or “percentage rent” if they apply in your lease.

Entity

A lease term for an organization created by an individual or individuals to conduct business.

Escalations

Increases in rent above the base year. This could be a fixed amount each year, a percentage increase each year, or an increase based on increases in the landlord’s expenses (like real estate taxes).

Exclusivity provision

A provision prohibiting your landlord from renting space in the building to a competing business.

Fixed costs

Expenses that stay the same no matter how your business is doing. Fixed costs include rent, salaries, utility bills, insurance, and loan repayments.

In-line store

When you think traditional mall shops you’re probably thinking of an in-line store. They are the stores that flank all the corridors of a mall.

Kiosk

Kiosks are a versatile, 360-degree store footprint often in the common areas of a mall. They are similar to a cart/RMU, but with a larger footprint and more opportunities to customize based on your needs and branding.

Landlord work

This is agreed upon work that your landlord will do to the space such as construction, installation, and renovation, usually before you move in.

Lease outline drawing (LOD)

A scale drawing detailing the exact dimensions of the store or common area unit.

Lease proposal/letter of intent (LOI)

A non-binding document summarizing the lease terms for a retail property prior to finalizing a formal lease agreement. It informs each party of some of the major terms and conditions that will be in the lease.

Margin

The difference between the price a business pays for a product and the price it sells it for. So, if an item sells for $100 and the business paid $50 for it, the margin is $50.

Merchandising

Merchandising, or visual merchandising, is all about how you set your products up to be sold, or the practice of organizing and displaying them in a way to encourage sales.

Minimum rent/base minimum rent/fixed minimum rent

The minimum initial rent due each month, often expressed in a per square foot, monthly, and/or annual amount. Note that there could be “additional rent” tacked onto this to account for operating expenses, taxes, and utilities.

Open date/store opening date

The date a store is open to customers. Note that this is usually not the same date as the “commencement date.”

Percentage rent

Additional rent paid beyond your minimum rent, in certain lease structures, based on the established breakpoint and your annual or monthly sales.

Pop-up store

A retail pop-up, also called a pop-up shop, pop-up store, or temporary retailing, is a temporary retail space rented or leased by a business that sells some type of retail good or service. Pop-up shop opportunities are different at each property but can help brands expand into new selling formats, reach new audiences, and test different markets in a low-risk way.

Premises

The land and buildings where a company conducts business.

Profit

The money a business pulls in after accounting for all their expenses. It is calculated by subtracting business expenses and costs from total revenue.

Radius clause

A clause in the lease agreement that prevents a tenant from opening a similar operation within a certain radius of the leased premises.

Relocation clause

A clause in the lease agreement that gives the landlord the ability to move a tenant to another location in the property.

Rent commencement date

The date the tenant is required to start payments to the landlord for use of the space.

Revenue

The amount of money a business earns from selling goods online and in-store. Revenue is calculated by multiplying the number of units sold by the average sales price.

Security deposit

A payment you make before the lease begins that is held by the landlord as “security” against future unknowns that may occur during the lease term.

Tenant improvement/
construction allowance/
tenant allowance

A pre-negotiated sum of money that a landlord will provide the tenant to cover a portion of construction or renovation costs.

Term

The agreed length of time you are expected to stay in the space you’re leasing.

Termination right

A provision allowing the landlord to terminate your lease if a certain condition is met or not. For example, if a restaurant is unable to secure a liquor license.

Use clause

A clause in the lease agreement that outlines the exact type of merchandise to be sold in the space. It could also restrict certain categories of merchandise a tenant is able to sell in their store.

Variable costs

Any expenses that change based on how much a company produces and sells. Variable costs include labor, utility expenses, commissions, and raw materials. For example, as your volume increases you may spend less on raw materials if you buy in bulk; however, you may spend more on labor to process the raw materials.