Recently, Perry City Administrator Sven Peterson spent several days in Alabama to attend the Retail Academy on the City’s behalf.

Peterson said the training was both beneficial and enlightening. They discussed Perry’s demographics and potential businesses that could be ideal, as well as the City’s “trade area,” which includes a population of around 18,000 people. Additionally, Peterson said they discussed how much money is leaving Perry each year. “They did a gap analysis, which is kind of that retail leakage that we’re missing out on here in Perry — to the tune of over $100 million every year that is spent outside the community that we’re going to try to do our best to be able to capture right here in the community.”

Peterson added, the overall purpose of the Retail Academy has several aspects, including: reducing retail leakage; bringing in new business; and perhaps most importantly, helping existing stores increase their business. “As much, if not more than attracting new business, is we really want to be able to take the information we got and present it to our local businesses to hopefully help them either expand their business or create a new business. So that’s really the intent, as well as attracting new business and new development.”

The Retail Academy is offered through Retail Strategies, LLC, and is funded by a collaboration between the City, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Economic Development Group.