New TSCG President Nichole Popovics on What to Expect at ICSC

Nichole Popovics, the freshly minted president of retail-focused real estate brokerage TSCG, got off the plane at Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport at 8:30 a.m. on Monday and wasted no time heading straight to her scheduled meeting with Commercial Observer at the Conrad Las Vegas at Resorts World Hotel at 10 a.m.

Popovics, who has been in the retail scene for most of her career, joined TSCG in 2021 and focuses on the firm’s business development and recruiting. Currently, TSCG represents more than 3,000 landlords and over 1,500 retailers in the U.S. — including the likes of Starbucks, Whole Foods and Costco — making it one of the top retail-focused advisory firms in the country.

This year is Popovics’ either 20th or 21st ICSC. But she had some good advice for first-timers and veterans alike.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Commercial Observer: What are you looking forward to? 

Nichole Popovics: I think I’m looking forward to kind of the temperature of the room. It’s usually been very optimistic. However, there are still some cautious pieces. So, just kind of wondering what people are talking about as far as headwinds, and whether the optimism is going to continue.

We’re seeing it with our clients that are here. Everybody is growing and excited — and I’m hopeful that that’s the tone that we all take from it. But I think that’s why I go into it happy, and then hopefully come out the same way, but we’ll see.

That, and, then, of course, it’s always nice to catch up with people I haven’t seen in a while. 

What was your first ICSC like? 

Oh, my gosh. I think I remember just being overwhelmed. It was so overly stimulating. And I tell a lot of our young kids that are coming here for the first time (a) don’t be the story that everybody’s talking about, but (b) just take it all in, because it’s a lot, and you’ll never have the first one again. 

You just never know who you’re gonna meet. I happened to hop in a car with a gentleman — I was with friends — and it ended up being one of the heads of real estate at Dick’s Sporting Goods. We had no idea. We were young — like, two years into business. And we had no idea.

And he’s like, “Hey, I’m going to the Bellagio. Would you like to go with me?” And we’re like, “Of course!” And, so, he took us. You just meet people in random places — the elevator, the car line, you name it. I think that’s cool.

Why do you like the Conrad? 

Because you can go to your room without going to the casino. 

OK, fair enough. How often do you get to Vegas? 

Usually this is the only time, but there are a few other conferences out here that we’ve come to. So we did a multi-unit franchise show out here once, and then I’d like to come out to the restaurant finance show. I haven’t done that one yet. I think that’s in November. But, yeah, once or twice a year. I like the food.

What is your favorite restaurant out here?

I love the nostalgic Piero’s. I just think it’s old, Vegas. I like to try new things around here. I haven’t done Nobu out here, and I’m doing that this time, and I’m doing RPM Italian this time, which I have not done here. Trying some new things every time I come.

Who are the top three companies that you really want to meet? 

Do you want them to be current clients or prospective clients?

Dealer’s choice. 

I always look forward to meeting with the teams from Chipotle because we do a lot of work with them, and I always want to see what’s really going on. 

Curious to hear from a few people at Starbucks, just as they’ve had ups and downs and such, and are changing their ways.

For the first time I’m meeting with the team from Beyond Yoga — just kind of learning what their strategy is gonna be going forward. So I’m anxious to see how the athleisure space is doing. 

We’ve heard of some headwinds. I’m just kind of curious if that’s just a Lululemon thing, or are all of them sort of feeling this? I really just want to kind of understand what’s going on in each of those little different sectors. 

What advice would you give to people at ICSC for the first time? 

Listen and ask questions. You have to hear what they’re saying, but don’t be afraid to ask the questions, because I think first-timers get intimidated by the meetings they get to go to. And I always remind them: Everybody puts their pants on the same way. 

So don’t be intimidated to ask the question and really think about what they’re saying before you ask it, but definitely don’t be scared.

Max Gross can be reached at mgross@commercialobserver.com.