Partner To Empower - Learning the Business of Retail from the Experts

Brookfield Properties' retail leaders teach minority business owners how to succeed by providing retail education, networking opportunities, one-on-one mentoring and store opening support

CHICAGO, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Now through Friday, May 31, applications for Brookfield Properties' Partner to Empower program are open for 91 of our participating retail assets. Partner to Empower is designed to help members of underserved communities grow their businesses by providing brick-and-mortar retail resources and store opening support at one of our Brookfield Properties shopping centers.

Spanning across 39 states, the Partner to Empower program is dedicated to helping break down the systemic racial barriers that entrepreneurs in our underserved communities face. Brookfield Properties helps established business owners of color—including, but not limited to Black, Indigenous, Hispanic, Asian and Pacific Islander Americans— open brick-and-mortar stores in our malls by providing:

• A free, four-week virtual Retail Workshop led by industry insiders
• Networking opportunities with retail experts and other growing businesses
• One-on-one mentorship and business planning
• Store opening support, including lease guidance and funding opportunities

Since its inception in 2021, Brookfield Properties has received over 2,500 applications, 265 businesses participating in seven cohorts, 35 are currently open and another 3 are under construction. Businesses who have completed the program and recently opened at a Brookfield Properties center include Dat Jerk at The Mall in Columbia in Columbia, Md and Clean Design Home at Willowbrook Mall in Wayne, N.J. Additionally, the program has enabled Fresca Palapa to open multiple locations, in Texas, and has plans to expand into other regions this year.

"Partner to Empower has surpassed our expectations," Michelle Isabel, vice president of Partner to Empower at Brookfield Properties, said. "Our shopping centers are an extension of the communities we serve, and this program enables us to give under-represented entrepreneurs an opportunity to grow their business, whether it is from what they've learned in the Retail Workshop or by applying it to open a brick-and-mortar location at one of our centers."

The retail workshop, free and included for all accepted applicants, brings together 60+ industry experts covering 30+ business and retail topics in a 4-week, virtual masterclass. The program is meant to help businesses feel confident in opening a brick-and-mortar retail store by focusing on building business plans, business banking, marketing, leadership, and more, through tailored courses such as "Financial Literacy for Business" and "Digital Growth & AI."

Applications for the program will be open for the month of May via our website: www.partnertoempower.co.

Brookfield Properties
Brookfield Properties is a fully-integrated, global real estate services company, providing industry-leading portfolio management capabilities across the real estate investment strategies of Brookfield Asset Management — a global alternative asset manager with over $925 billion in AUM.

Brookfield Properties develops and manages premier real estate with a focus on maximizing the tenant experience in addition to the investment and operational performance of the asset. We also focus on integrating leading-edge real estate technologies which enables us to be at the forefront of innovation and sustainability – benefiting not only our tenants and business partners, but also the communities in which we operate. 

For more information about our approach to operating and developing best-in-class real estate, please visit brookfieldproperties.com.

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SOURCE Brookfield Properties