Expert calls local economy, workforce stable Things are looking up on the national retail front. The announcement of rue21 signing last month with Paris Towne Center is a good sign for the overall local retail market, according to Rickey Hayes of Retail Attractions, the firm contracted with Par...

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An Oklahoma-based consultant advising Mandan city officials says the city needs to raise awareness of its identify separate from Bismarck to draw large box stores and build its retail. Rickey Hayes, founder of Retail Attractions, said the company will be pitching the city's assets at the Oct. 5...

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A new retailer is coming to town, and both customers and economic developers couldn't be happier. rue21 will be moving into Paris Towne Center in early November, subject to remodeling and construction constraints. The specialty soft good retailer will take over the space vacated by the Social Sec...

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Coffeyville is "A dynamic retail market" where important steps have been taken to help speed up economic growth, a consultant told the Coffeyville City Commission in a special meeting Thursday. "Both Parsons and Independence are playing second fiddle to you," Rickey Hayes said at the 90-minu...

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The International Council of Shopping Centers' annual conference in Las Vegas is the biggest commercial real estate convention in the world. Chances are good that if a national retailer or restaurant moves here, the deal had its roots at ICSC. So what better place to take the pulse of commercial...

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Paris Economic Development Corp. Executive Director Steve Gilbert, second from left, and Rickey Hayes (to Gilbert’s right) with Retail Attractions meet with a retail broker at a late May real estate conference in Las Vegas, sponsored by the International Council of Shopping Centers and haile...

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Rickey Hayes is the founder and CEO of Retail Attractions, an economic consulting firm that focuses on retail development. He is former director of economic development for the city of Owasso, where he orchestrated the development of a 4.2 million-square-foot regional shopping district. Since th...

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ENID — With a strong economy, double-digit growth in sales tax revenue, low unemployment and a high quality of life, Enid is attracting a lot of attention from retail developers aiming to tap into the strengths of the regional market. As city officials and development specialists work to recruit...

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