If location is important in the valuation of most real estate assets, this is even more true for retail properties. For example, in the same Parisian street, a difference in exposure to the sun between a restaurant and a brasserie with a terrace will lead to a difference in valuation, whereas this aspect will be irrelevant for a supermarket or a wine cellar. Factors that influence the influx of potential customers, such as proximity to a subway entrance or reputable signage, should also be considered carefully. Each business on the Grounded floor of a building is a unique case making the valuation of retail properties and the right to lease a particularly detailed undertaking. 

The retail market for shops is twofold: sales and rentals. In large cities, most of the retail chains rent the best sites for long periods of time. The sale of walls is limited. As a result, products are scarce when investor demand is strong, pushing up prices. In addition, retail chains tend to look for large surfaces (approximately 300 sq m) in order to set up local shops, to limit competition and reduce charges per sq m, but such surfaces are uncommon in large cities.

Retail assets at ground floor of a building are highly sought after by investors because of its secure character. Indeed, once the business has a good location, the ceilings on rents resulting from the status of commercial leases limit the tenant rotation of tenants, while leaving the investor with the hope of being able to reassess rent in the long term. However, shopfronts have the disadvantage of smaller surfaces, and therefore higher management costs.