Each portfolio has the store everybody brags about. Highest sales in the fleet, toasted at the holiday party. Is it actually your best deal? Store A does $2M at 15% occupancy. Store B does $1.2M at 8%. One of them funds your next opening. A look at the ratio that separates sales volume from deal quality, and why it drifts on you over the life of a lease.

Some leases get a slice of your success. Negotiate the cut. Percentage rent kicks in above a sales threshold called the breakpoint, and where that number lands decides who keeps the upside. The math behind natural and artificial breakpoints, what moving one means in real dollars, and when to negotiate out of the clause entirely.

When five brands chase the same space, wanting second-gen isn't an edge. It's the ante. The brands that win: hear about the space before the sign goes up, know their requirements cold, and move from tour to LOI in days. The space you found on LoopNet is most likely the space you already lost. Timing is critical.

The rent you're quoted is the beginning of the number, not the number. A $40 quote on a triple net lease lands 40% higher once CAM, taxes, and insurance stack on top. The full math, what the reconciliation statement reveals, and what to get in writing before the LOI.