Denver loses sales-tax revenue to online retailers, suburbs

“Out of the 41 large super centers, or large format warehouse retailers in metro Denver, there are only seven within the city limits, the EPS study shows. There are only four home improvement centers in Denver, out of the 28 in metro Denver.

Asked if the city has a reputation for not offering as many incentives for big retailers as surrounding cities, Guimond agreed but said Denver doesn’t have as many sites available for such large retailers, which require a lot of land for large stores and parking spaces.
“Incentives have been a factor,” Guimond said. “I think a combination of a lack of incentives and a lack of sites have caused that to be the case … but Denver does have good incentives in some spots through DURA [Denver Urban Renewal Authority] with about 20 urban renewal spots.”

The study pointed to areas of the city that could either be good sites for retail growth, or need some increased retail activity.”

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Huspeni, Dennis. Denver Business Journal 20 May 2013.