PHOTO: Burlington and Ulta are now open at Victoria Village, a new commercial development that was made possible through the City’s strategic recruitment efforts. Five Below is scheduled to open March 27.

Multiple new retailers and restaurants have opened or announced plans to open in Victoria as the City continues to pursue a proactive retail recruitment strategy as part of the Growing Victoria initiative.

During his State of the City address at the City’s first Growing Victoria Summit, Mayor Duane Crocker highlighted several of the City’s recent retail gains, including the new Burlington and Ulta at the Victoria Village shopping center, and Five Below, which opens at Victoria Village on March 27.

Other businesses that have announced plans to open in Victoria include Chicken Salad Chick, Dave’s Hot Chicken, Petco, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, Ellianos Coffee and Frontier Coffee.

Why retail recruitment matters

PHOTO: Mayor Duane Crocker discusses retail recruitment and local small business development as part of his State of the City address during the Growing Victoria Summit on March 12 at the Victoria Community Center.

During the summit, the mayor explained how a strong retail base benefits residents by bringing in additional sales tax and property tax revenue, which helps to shift the tax burden away from residents while increasing funds for streets and infrastructure, community development and other City services.

“Ultimately, we don’t control what businesses come here,” the mayor said. “Those businesses make their decisions on their own. But what we can do, is we can go to conferences, we can make connections with the site selectors … Through our Economic Development department, we can touch base with people, tell them about Victoria.”

The mayor also reaffirmed the City’s commitment to supporting local businesses, citing the recent addition of a business retention and expansion manager within the Economic Development department.

Return on investment

PHOTO: Mayor Duane Crocker’s State of the City address featured several large retailers and locally owned businesses that have recently opened or announced plans to open in Victoria.

Also during the summit, Robert Hess with growth strategy consulting firm Newmark Group emphasized that incentives can be a powerful recruitment tool if the resulting sales tax and property tax revenue justifies the investment. For example, Victoria Village is eligible for up to $500,000 in sales tax rebates if the development meets agreed-upon sales tax milestones.

The City also encourages development by investing in infrastructure improvements. These investments include:

• Improvements on Broadmoor Street that facilitated the Victoria Village development
• Relocation of an exit ramp leading to Boot Barn and the future Cheddar’s location

Stay connected

To watch the mayor’s full State of the City address and other speakers from the Growing Victoria Summit, visit the City’s YouTube channel at Victoria Texas Videos. 

To watch the City’s Town Talk podcast episode highlighting the summit, visit Spotify, YouTube or the City’s central information page at www.victoriatx.gov/newsroom.

To learn more about how the City of Victoria supports economic and community development, visit www.growingvictoriatx.com.