With a number of established retail destinations and several new developments coming in, the retail industry in Fort Bend County is on the rise. Mixed-use developments along Hwy. 6, the Grand Parkway and within master-planned communities are springing up to serve a growing and increasingly diverse population.

With a majority of profits and sales tax revenues collected during the holiday season, locally owned retailers are expected to benefit from both local shoppers and visitors from surrounding areas.

"We live in one of the fastest growing communities in the nation, and with the increase in population, we have seen tremendous growth in the retail sector," said Keri Schmidt, president of the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce. "The Hwy. 6 area that spans from Missouri City to Sugar Land has always been a hotbed for restaurants and retail. The next big expansion is [along] the Grand Parkway."

Developing areas

Much of the demand from incoming retailers has been centered on what Kolbe Curtice, commercial broker with Colliers International in Fort Bend, refers to as the Telfair commercial corridor, which lies along Hwy. 59 near the master-planned community of Telfair.

"Retail development is going to follow the population, and that population is [in] master-planned communities—and the best master-planned communities are on major thoroughfares," Curtice said. "When we go into any growth area, you have to first have the houses. After the houses, you see retail follow and then office."

Telfair is built-out in terms of residential development, but retail centers have begun to crop up and are attracting a number of new retailers both big and small. The opening of a Sugar Land Chuy's location is set for fall 2014, company officials said. The restaurant is expected to add another draw to the Crossing at Telfair, a multi-phase, mixed-use development at the corner of Hwy. 90 and Hwy. 6.

Telfair's Museum Square development off University Boulevard north of Hwy. 59 is also underway with several commercial entities expected to open in 2014.

Across University Boulevard, the Exchange at Telfair—a 2,000-acre development that will include a mix retail, office and medical space—also has several retail tenants under construction.

"If Fort Bend needs anything, it's high-end specialty retailers, and I think [residents] will start seeing more of that," Curtice said.

Shopping locally

A diverse demographic has helped Sugar Land attract more than 7.6 million square feet of retail space, and as more retailers move to the area, there is little need for residents to cross county lines for their services.

Although the number of retailers in Missouri City—specifically along Texas Parkway, FM 1092 and Cartwright Road—has dropped off, the Hwy. 6 corridor and developments within Sienna Plantation have continued to attract incoming businesses.

An influencing factor of continued retail growth is a city's position to become a retail destination, which determines the attractiveness of an area for retailers and the distance customers will travel to shop there—known as a "retail trade area," said Regina Morales, director of economic development with the city of Sugar Land.

"Although the city's population is approximately 85,000, our retail trade area is in excess of 600,000," she said.

The addition of several destination attractions, such as Constellation Field and the upcoming Performing Arts Center, attract visitors from outside the retail trade area, Morales said. As a result, locally owned small businesses are able to cash in on increased shopper traffic, especially during the holiday season.

Serenitea Team Room—an English-style tea room off Hwy. 59 in Sugar Land—sees frequent holiday walk-ins along with regular customers who travel from Katy, Clear Lake and The Woodlands, owner Archana Pyatt said.

"Our busiest season is the holiday season," she said. "People look forward to our holiday tea service, and for many it has become part of their family tradition."

Financial gains

In addition to local and big business offering retail destinations, governing entities also benefit from local shopping from increased sales tax revenues. In Sugar Land, sales tax makes up approximately 22 percent of the city's total operating revenue for fiscal year 2013, according to annual budget documents. About 12 percent of Sugar Land's annual sales tax revenue will be collected in December. Sales tax collections in Sugar Land have increased 11 percent from 2009–13.

For the 2013 fiscal year in Missouri City, the city received approximately $6.8 million in sales tax revenue, a more than 9 percent increase than the previous year. Sales tax revenue is expected to grow 6.8 percent in 2014.

"The long term effect of shopping locally is the impact it has on economic growth—by attracting other businesses and more people to shop and live in that community," Pyatt said. "It basically spells growth and prosperity."