Los Angeles, CA — CBRE Group, Inc. announced that Brandon Famous, a veteran executive with more than three decades of experience in retail and commercial real estate, has been appointed senior managing director and leader of the company’s Retail Occupier Advisory & Transaction Services practice in the Americas. Famous will be responsible for the practice’s business operations, business development, financial performance and recruitment in the U.S., Canada and Latin America.
“Brandon is a highly successful retail broker and an industry icon,” said Anthony Buono, Executive Managing Director, Retail Services, the Americas, CBRE. “His appointment demonstrates our continued interest in putting the best talent in leadership roles, and the importance of supporting our sales professionals with strong leadership so that we can continue our commitment to representing world-class retailers and maintain our market-leading Retail position”
In late 2013, Mr. Famous joined CBRE as Executive Vice President with CBRE’s acquisition of Fameco Real Estate, L.P., the Philadelphia-based retail brokerage firm of which he was the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder. He has completed more than 1,700 retail lease transactions totaling in excess of 16 million square feet of space, and has represented numerous top-tier retail occupiers, including Chipotle, Starbucks, The Home Depot and Nordstrom Rack.
Mr. Famous will oversee a Retail practice at CBRE that now advises 1,000 retailers on their real estate needs in the Americas, and encompasses more than 450 retail brokers. In addition to the 2013 acquisition of Fameco, CBRE acquired United Commercial Realty (UCR), a Dallas, Texas-based commercial real estate firm specializing in retail services in January 2015. UCR, known as one of the most innovative and successful retail real estate advisors in the U.S., manages retail properties for institutional investors nationally and provides brokerage services for them and for leading retailers across Texas and other markets.
Prior to founding Fameco, Mr. Famous’s retail background included eight years in leasing and development with two of the Delaware Valley’s largest shopping center developers and five years in retail operations and site selection for a mid-Atlantic sportswear retailer. He is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and was active within ChainLinks Retail Advisors, a national network of independently owned retail real estate advisors. He received a BA from Villanova University.
Mr. Famous is based in Philadelphia and will report to Mr. Buono.