Mar 20, 2026

Walter Wahlfeldt is Midwest Retail Lead at JLL. He discusses the state of retail real estate in Chicago, from the recovery of the central business district to the evolving Magnificent Mile. He covers return-to-office trends, shifting retail rents, the grocery wars heating up in the market, and what makes Chicago a top-five destination for expanding retailers. Wahlfeldt also shares lessons from his own experience as a former bakery owner and what he looks for when evaluating retail concepts.

James Cook is the Director of Retail Research in the Americas for JLL. 

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify 
Listen: WhereWeBuy.show 

Email: jamesd.cook@jll.com 

YouTube: http://everythingweknow.show/

Read more retail research here:  http://www.us.jll.com/retail

Theme music is Run in the Night by The Good Lawdz, under Creative Commons license.