José de Jesús Legaspi
Founder & President
José de Jesús Legaspi is the owner and president of The Legaspi Company. He is an expert in retail project development, sales and leasing, econometric consulting, and retail tenant representation.
Since 1979, José de Jesús Legaspi's market niche has been the inner city, specifically areas with high densities of Hispanic consumers. Legaspi has developed an expertise in the successful marketing and revitalization of urban and downtown areas. His work on Pacific Boulevard in Huntington Park, Fourth Street in Santa Ana, North and South Broadway in Los Angeles, Whittier Boulevard in East Los Angeles, and Cesar Chavez Avenue (formerly Brooklyn) in Boyle Heights has earned him a reputation as a key contributor to the thriving commercial successes of these downtown areas.
José de Jesús Legaspi is considered an expert in Hispanic consumerism and is involved in many creative projects throughout the United States. These include mercados, malls and mixed-use projects in Southern, Central and Northern California, Texas, Arizona, Nevada and Georgia. Legaspi manages a joint venture with a major pension fund in the State of California that invests in key markets throughout the southwestern United States. He is involved in the development of unique mixed-use projects involving housing, retail, and educational components.
José de Jesús Legaspi co-owns a 1,200,000 square foot indoor mall in Fort Worth, La Gran Plaza, which he has brought to over 80% occupancy in just two years. This mall, formerly Fort Worth Town Center, was considered an undesirable mall for decades and was 20% occupied when his group purchased the property in 2004. La Gran Plaza is the keystone to all of the knowledge and experience Legaspi has gained throughout his professional career. This 1.2 million square foot mall encompasses the confirmation of concepts that have worked in the provision of goods and services. These concepts include anchor and specialty shopping, entertainment components [such as movie theaters and a lienzo charro (Mexican rodeo arena and concert venue)], a small shop marketplace, and a supermarket.
His tenant representation client roster includes national U.S. companies as well as retailers from Mexico. He has been instrumental in the initial expansions of Mexican retailers such as Gigante, a 250+ supermarket chain, FAMSA, a 280+ furniture, appliance and electronics retail chain, and Emyco, the largest manufacturer of shoes in Mexico. He orchestrated the original expansion of El Pollo Loco in the 1980s throughout the Los Angeles metropolitan areas. His tenant representation efforts brought retailers such as Blockbuster Video and McDonalds to trade areas once overlooked by national credit tenants. Most of the stores and restaurants he placed in the 1980s are still in operation as of 2009
