Landsec, one of the U.K.’s largest commercial property developers, has teamed up with property listing portal Completely Retail Marketplace. They’ll invite up-and-coming brands that have yet to launch physical stores to a Soapbox stage, pictured at top, to convince judges, including former Apprentice winner Carina Lepore, that their businesses should occupy pop-up space at one of the REIT’s marketplaces. Judging criteria will assess innovation, creativity and commercial viability. The winner will choose from a range of Landsec locations across the U.K. for a pop-up shop. The competition is open to non-food-and-beverage brands and start-ups, which can apply here.

In New York City, the nonprofit Center for an Urban Future called on New York City to support small business owners who are among the 266,000 adult residents of the city’s public housing system, according to The New York Times. Many became entrepreneurs out of necessity, running informal and unregistered businesses after their jobs vanished in the pandemic. Nearly one-quarter of NYC Housing Authority residents worked in industries that have been among the slowest to recover, including hotels, retail stores and restaurants. Estimates put the unemployment rate among public housing residents around 25 to 35%, compared with 7% citywide. NYCHA’s existing entrepreneurship training program has limited vacancies and covers only catering and child care businesses. The report said about 1,600 NYCHA residents reported owning their own businesses in 2021. That’s less than 1% of the total population of NYCHA residents but still five times more than in 2012. “This may be the biggest untapped entrepreneurial opportunity in the city,” Center for an Urban Future executive director Jonathan Bowles said.

Brookfield Boosts Black-Owned Brands

Brookfield Properties has earmarked $25 million through 2025 to fund its Partner to Empower Program, which covers store buildout expenses and coordinates retail mentorship and training for independent Black- and minority-owned businesses that operate in the communities Brookfield properties serve. “We want to reflect the markets of each of our centers by giving an advantage to the small businesses of underrepresented groups that would benefit most,” said Brookfield Properties vice president of business development Michelle Isabel.

Senate GOP Members Back Capital-Formation Bill to Benefit Small Business

A Republican proposal in the Senate would spur business creation by encouraging young firms to trade on public markets, protecting retail investors and tailoring regulations for smaller companies, according to CNBC. Retiring Sen. Pat Toomey this week floated a draft plan in an early attempt to solicit feedback from Republicans and Democrats on nearly 30 bills that could help businesses tap capital in both the public and private markets. Toomey, the ranking member on the Senate Banking Committee, named the proposal after the landmark JOBS Act of 2012; that law’s acronym stands for Jumpstart Our Business Startups. Twenty-four of the 29 bills included in Toomey’s discussion draft already have been introduced on Capitol Hill, and some already have bipartisan support, which they would need to become law. It’s unclear how many of the bills could garner the 60 votes needed to pass legislation in a Senate split 50-50 by party.

Commerce + Communities Today executive editor Brannon Boswell contributed to this report.