CBRE announced that Branson Edwards, a nationally known retail portfolio solutions thought leader, has joined the company as executive vice president and leader of integrated retail accounts in the Americas.
“Branson is a known innovator and solutions provider in retail portfolio management and outsourcing. We are thrilled to have him join our retail business,” said Anthony Buono, CBRE global president of retail. “Throughout his career, Branson has designed, integrated and implemented business processes that drive retail evolution.”
Edwards will work with Brandon Famous, CBRE global retail occupier leader, and CBRE’s network of more than 800 retail professionals across the globe to enhance the company’s Integrated retail accounts practice. The practice focuses on integrating CBRE’s comprehensive and market-leading retail platform with its top talent to generate outcomes that retailers cannot get elsewhere.
“Retailers, and firms that don’t yet think of themselves as retailers, are asking for deeper solutions and more impactful outcomes,” Edwards said. “This includes customer analytics and strategy across all channels, re-invention of the supply chain, the store portfolio and the digital footprint. It’s just a tremendous moment in retail, and a great time to be with a deeply resourced firm like CBRE.”
Edwards has participated in, managed and led notable retail initiatives, from strategic and business planning to implementation, including clients such as T-Mobile, Harbor Freight Tools, Sprint, Kendra Scott Jewelers and others. He joins CBRE from Newmark Knight Frank, where he built and managed the firm’s national retail occupier services business.
Prior to Newmark, Edwards led the same practice at JLL after JLL’s purchase of his boutique retail advisory firm, The Standard Group, which he formed in 1999. Earlier in his career, Branson was part of the retail real estate teams that managed the significant rollouts of Hollywood Video, Boston Market and Blinds to Go.
Edwards earned his B.A. in english from Duke University and his MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
