AMERICAN FIELD LAUNCHES PLATFORM TO HELP FILL VACANT RETAIL SPACE
American Field (AF), the marketplace for emerging brands and startups, has launched a new digital platform that connects commercial landlords with new tenants, aiming to quickly fill first floor vacancies caused by the pandemic.
Called “AF Spaces,” the platform features a curated collection of fashion and lifestyle brands alongside nationwide retail listings, the platform makes it easy and efficient to find and fill retail spaces.
“The pandemic has devastated the commercial real estate industry,” said Mark Bollman founder and CEO of AF. “But it has also provided opportunities for a new wave of brands to experience the growth physical retail can bring. Since its founding, American Field has provided retailers access to marketplaces nationwide to grow their audience and increase their brand awareness. Spaces is a natural extension of the AF value proposition solving landlord vacancy and providing a platform for brands to grow. As a brand founder myself, I know what’s important, because I’ve been in that position. This unique perspective enables us to connect brands with the best spaces based on their needs.”
AF Spaces features a curated network of 2,500 brands alongside a nationwide network of landlords who own millions of square feet of prime first floor real estate. The platform offers brands the ability to test drive storefronts through short-term agreements. The rotating pop-ups activate dark spaces until the landlord secures a long-term tenant. AF Spaces has already found success with Midtown Equities, successfully placing NYC-based brand Schott into an empty space at the Empire Stores in DUMBO, Brooklyn.
Mehul Patel, the COO of Midtown Equities, commented: “We couldn’t be happier with our experience with American Field both with their multi-brand pop-up and their ability to leverage their extensive network of high-quality brands to deliver the iconic Schott NYC into one of our available spaces here at Empires Stores.”
“When we learned about the amazing platform offered by AF Spaces we jumped at the opportunity to open a new store in Brooklyn, a store that under the traditional drawn-out negotiation process, would simply not have been possible,” added Jason Schott of Schott NYC. “I can say that AF Spaces has reignited our interest in expanding our brick-and-mortar footprint and has enabled the most streamlined store opening process we’ve ever had.”
