Forward-deployed engineers for site selection
Cobroker embeds an engineer with retail, restaurant, and franchise brands picking their next site, plus commercial real estate brokers running tenant representation for those brands. We build a custom site selection model trained on portfolio data, then stay close through every expansion
Generic models can't see what makes your brand work
Every retail brand has its own customer, its own real estate playbook, and its own definition of a winning site. Off-the-shelf site selection software flattens that into industry averages, treating a quick-service restaurant the same as a fitness studio. A custom model trained on your own portfolio captures what actually drives your performance, store by store and market by market, with the demographics, trade area, and competitor signals that matter for your brand.
Four phases from brief to ongoing partnership
Standardized engagement, custom site selection output for your brand
Discovery
We audit your portfolio, store-level revenue, performance data, and the criteria your real estate team uses today to pick sites
Custom model
We build a custom site selection model trained on your stores, competitors, demographics, and the markets you're targeting next
Embedded engineer
Your forward-deployed engineer joins your real estate team weekly, runs expansion scenarios, and ships answers between committee meetings
Quarterly refresh
Every three months we retrain the model with new store performance data, demographic shifts, and competitor moves
Every part of the engagement
Portfolio audit
Full review of your existing retail locations, store-level performance scoring, and what your top quartile actually has in common
Custom model build
A custom site selection model trained on your own portfolio, with every variable, weight, and source visible and auditable
Whitespace analysis
Markets you're under-indexed in, plus specific sites that match the demographic and trade area profile of your top performers
Trade area mapping
Custom trade area definitions for your brand, sized to your customer behavior instead of an industry default
Forecast reports
Revenue and traffic forecasts with confidence intervals, sales transfer modeling, and a cited source behind every number
Embedded engineer
Weekly working sessions with the engineer who built your model, available between meetings over Slack, email, Telegram, or WhatsApp
Quarterly refresh
Every three months we retrain your model with new performance data, market shifts, and competitive activity
Committee-ready outputs
Memos, charts, and forecasts formatted for your real estate committee, board, or franchisee group
How we compare
| Capability | Cobroker | Off-the-shelf software | Traditional consultants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trained on your own portfolio | |||
| Glass-box variables and weights | |||
| Cited source behind every number | |||
| Weekly access to the model builder | |||
| Quarterly model refresh | |||
| Forecasts you can defend in committee | |||
| Available between meetings | |||
| Pricing aligned to portfolio scale |
Trained on your own portfolio
Glass-box variables and weights
Cited source behind every number
Weekly access to the model builder
Quarterly model refresh
Forecasts you can defend in committee
Available between meetings
Pricing aligned to portfolio scale
Built for multi-unit brands and franchise systems
Retail brands
Specialty retail, big-box, and DTC brands opening 10 to 200 net-new locations a year. We model store-level revenue, cannibalization, and trade area overlap
Restaurant chains
Quick-service, fast-casual, and full-service restaurant brands. We pull POS data from systems like Toast to score sites for daypart traffic, ticket size, drive-time demographics, and competitor density
Franchise systems
Franchisors and master franchisees defending territory and approving new units. We give your real estate committee defensible scores for every applicant
Multi-unit operators
Operators expanding across regions or rolling up portfolios. We model your existing footprint and identify the markets and sites that match your top performers
Tenant rep brokers
Commercial real estate brokers running tenant representation for retail, restaurant, and franchise brands. We give brokers their own custom model to score sites and win more client mandates
Frequently asked questions
What is a forward-deployed engineer?
A Cobroker engineer who embeds with your real estate team for the duration of the engagement. They build your custom site selection model, run scenarios, attend your meetings, and stay close as your portfolio expands. The model is yours, with every variable, weight, and source visible and auditable.
How is a custom model different from off-the-shelf software?
Off-the-shelf site selection software uses generic models trained on industry-wide data, which means a quick-service restaurant gets the same predictions as a fitness studio. A custom model is trained on your own portfolio, your own competitors, and the markets you care about. It learns what actually drives revenue for your brand instead of averaging across categories.
Who does Cobroker work with for enterprise site selection?
We work with retail, restaurant, and franchise brands picking their next locations, from 25-unit operators planning regional expansion to 200-store brands defending territory. We also embed with commercial real estate brokerages running tenant representation, giving brokers their own model to score sites for client portfolios. Engagements typically start with at least 25 existing stores of performance data.
How long does it take to build a custom site selection model?
A first version is usable in three to four weeks. We complete portfolio audit in the first week, build the model in weeks two and three, and start running expansion scenarios with your team in week four. Quarterly refreshes keep the model accurate as new stores open and markets shift.
What data does Cobroker pull into the model?
Your portfolio's store-level revenue and performance data, POS transactions from systems like Toast, demographic and psychographic profiles for every trade area, foot traffic and visitation patterns, competitor locations, and parcel and zoning data. Every source is cited so your real estate committee can defend every score.
Can I integrate Cobroker with my existing real estate stack?
Yes. We connect to your CRM, POS (Toast, Square, Clover, and others), lease management, deal pipeline, and BI tools. Your forward-deployed engineer can pull your existing pipeline into the model and export outputs as memos, slides, dashboards, or API responses depending on how your committee reviews sites.
What happens after the engagement ends?
The model stays yours. We hand off documentation and weights so your in-house team can own it, or we stay on quarterly refresh as you scale. Most brands keep their forward-deployed engineer on retainer through several years of expansion.
How do I qualify for an enterprise engagement?
If you operate 25 or more locations and you're planning at least 10 net-new stores in the next 24 months, the math usually works. The fastest way to find out is a 30-minute scoping call.
Brief a forward-deployed engineer
Book a 30-minute call to scope your portfolio and see if a custom model fits your team