How an Anchor Tenant Can Shape a New Retail Center
The right anchor tenant can put a new retail center on the map. Shoppers follow, retailers notice, momentum builds. What begins with one destination can influence where people shop, which businesses move in and what takes shape around it.
Anchor tenants typically have strong name recognition and a large customer base, giving shoppers a clear reason to plan a visit. That is especially true of grocery stores, warehouse clubs and other high-demand retailers. People do not simply happen upon these businesses. They plan their errands around them.
Making Surrounding Space More Attractive
Once people have a reason to visit, nearby space becomes more attractive to restaurants, shops and service businesses. Each trip creates another opportunity for a customer to grab lunch, fill the tank or complete another errand.
For developers, a confirmed anchor provides a stronger story for leasing surrounding space. It helps demonstrate the site’s potential draw, supports conversations with prospective tenants and informs decisions about which additional uses belong in the center.
The importance of anchors is even reflected in retail leases. Some co-tenancy clauses allow tenants to pay reduced rent or terminate a lease if a named anchor closes or center occupancy drops below a specified level. In other words, retailers may consider the presence of an anchor important enough to put it in writing. A 2025 analysis of a California Supreme Court ruling explains how these provisions reflect the effect anchors have on traffic and the economic viability of surrounding tenants.
Building the Right Tenant Mix
An anchor brings customers to a center. A thoughtful mix of surrounding businesses encourages them to do more once they arrive.
That is where cross-shopping enters the picture. Someone visiting a warehouse club may also stop for fuel, automotive supplies or a meal. Customers might make those stops during the same visit or return later because the center offers several convenient options in one location. Complementary retailers can often help one another rather than simply compete.
Different businesses also attract visitors at different times. Retailers, restaurants, hotels, medical offices and entertainment venues each create their own traffic patterns. The result can be steadier activity throughout the day and week.
Creating a Cycle of Commercial Growth
As more businesses open, a retail center gains more reasons to visit. More visits create greater visibility for surrounding tenants. That visibility makes available space more appealing to additional businesses.
It becomes a cycle:
- More destinations
- More reasons to visit
- Greater exposure for surrounding businesses
- More interest from potential tenants
Early anchors also help establish a center’s identity. A warehouse club may position it as a regional shopping destination, while restaurants, hotels and services add convenience and encourage repeat visits.
What This Could Mean for Stanford Crossing
Stanford Crossing has several characteristics that support this kind of commercial growth. Its properties are located along Interstate 5 at Lathrop Road and Louise Avenue, with more than 5,000 feet of freeway frontage. More than 156,000 vehicles pass the site daily.
At Stanford Crossing South, the first Sam’s Club in San Joaquin County is under construction, with the full club planned to open later in 2026. Its members-only fuel station opened September 4, while AutoZone is already operating nearby and Lathrop’s first Wendy’s has been confirmed for the commercial area. A Home2 Suites by Hilton is also moving forward at Stanford Crossing North. Together, these developments are creating a broader mix of shopping, dining, service and hospitality uses. The latest status of each project is available on Stanford Crossing’s Development Updates page.
Because the full Sam’s Club has not opened, its impact on traffic, cross-shopping and leasing at Stanford Crossing cannot yet be measured. Still, completed-center examples suggest how the area could evolve. Sam’s Club could establish a wider regional draw, while fuel, automotive, dining and hospitality uses give people more reasons to combine trips and return.
Become Part of Stanford Crossing’s Growth
An anchor tenant is not the final step in creating a successful retail center. Often, it is the catalyst for what comes next.
With high freeway visibility, nearby residential growth and a growing roster of confirmed businesses, Stanford Crossing offers commercial users an opportunity to become part of Lathrop’s evolving retail destination.
Contact CBRE for current pricing, availability and development details.