Retail Leasing Manager

Ability Executive Recruitment; Sandton; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Ability Executive Recruitment in Sandton seeks an experienced Retail Leasing Manager to lead leasing across premium retail developments. You will identify high-quality national and international tenants, negotiate terms, and build strong retailer partnerships to drive occupancy and value.

With an extensive network in retail, you will shape leasing strategies, manage negotiations end-to-end, and collaborate with development, asset management and marketing teams to achieve commercial objectives.

Qualifications

• Experience in premium retail developments or large-scale retail environments.
• Proven track record of retail leasing transactions.
• Extensive network within the retail industry.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement leasing strategies across the retail portfolio.
• Identify gaps and opportunities, secure anchor tenants and key brands.
• Lead negotiations on rent, incentives and terms through to signed leases.
• Maintain a strong leasing pipeline and report leasing performance to leadership.

Skills

Retail leasing

Negotiation

Relationship building

Market analysis

Financial acumen

Presentation skills

Stakeholder management

Education

Relevant tertiary qualification in Property, Real Estate, Business, Finance, Marketing or related discipline

Job description

Ability Executive Recruitment | Full time

Retail Leasing Manager

Sandton, South Africa | Posted on 22/10/2026

• Salary Highly negotiable + commission + incentives
• Currency ZAR
• Province Gauteng
• Postal Code 2196
• Country South Africa

Job Description

A leading and highly regarded retaildevelopment company is seeking an experienced Retail Leasing Manager tojoin its team in Sandton.

The organisation has a strong portfolio ofpremium retail developments and is seeking a commercially astute leasingprofessional with an established reputation and extensive relationships acrossthe South African and international retail sector.

This is a high-impact role for anindividual who understands the retail property landscape, has a strong networkof retailers and multinational brands, and can identify and secure the righttenant mix to drive the long-term performance and positioning of retaildevelopments.

The Retail Leasing Manager will beresponsible for developing and executing leasing strategies across thecompany's retail portfolio, with a particular focus on securing high-qualitynational and international retailers, multinational brands, and strategicallyimportant tenants.

The successful candidate will bring anextensive network of established retail contacts, a strong understanding ofretailer requirements and expansion strategies, and a proven track record ofconcluding sophisticated retail leasing transactions.

The role will work closely with seniormanagement, development, asset management, property management and marketingteams to ensure that each development achieves its commercial objectives andmaintains a compelling and differentiated tenant mix.

Retail Leasing Strategy

• Develop and implement leasing strategies aligned with thepositioning, customer profile and commercial objectives of each retaildevelopment.
• Develop and maintain optimal tenant mix strategies across theportfolio.
• Identify gaps and opportunities within existing and proposedretail developments.
• Monitor retail trends, consumer behaviour, retailer expansionstrategies and emerging concepts.
• Provide market intelligence and leasing recommendations tosenior management and development teams.

Tenant Acquisition & Leasing

• Proactively identify, engage and secure leading South Africanand international retailers.
• Leverage an extensive network of retailers, retail groups,franchise operators, investors and multinational brands.
• Manage the full leasing process from initial engagement andnegotiations through to conclusion of agreements.
• Lead negotiations on rental, lease terms, incentives, fit-outcontributions, trading requirements and other commercial considerations.
• Secure anchor tenants and strategically important brands thatenhance the positioning and performance of developments.
• Build relationships with key decision-makers at national andinternational retail groups.
• Maintain a strong leasing pipeline and ensure that targets anddevelopment milestones are achieved.

Retailer Relationships

• Develop and maintain long-term relationships with CEOs,property directors, expansion managers, leasing executives and othersenior decision-makers within major retail groups.
• Maintain an up-to-date understanding of retailer expansionplans, store formats, preferred locations and property requirements.
• Act as a senior point of contact between the company and keyretail partners.
• Identify opportunities for portfolio-wide relationships andstrategic partnerships.
• Work closely with development teams from the early planningstages of new projects to ensure that leasing considerations informdevelopment decisions.
• Provide input into retail layouts, tenantpositioning, unit sizing, zoning and overall tenant mix.
• Ensure that developments attract a compelling combination ofanchor tenants, national brands, international retailers, specialistretailers, restaurants, entertainment and complementary uses.
• Assist with positioning developments competitively within theretail property market.

Commercial & Market Analysis

• Analyse rental levels, market conditions, retailer performanceand competitive developments.
• Prepare leasing proposals, financial assessments, reports andpresentations for senior management.
• Monitor comparable retail developments and competitor activity.
• Identify opportunities to maximise rental income, occupancy,footfall and asset value.
• Provide regular reporting on leasing performance, pipeline,negotiations and prospective tenants.

Requirements

• Relevant tertiary qualification inProperty, Real Estate, Business, Finance, Marketing or a relateddiscipline.
• Extensive experience in retail leasing , preferably within a leading property development, investmentor retail property environment.
• A proven track record of successfully concluding retailleasing transactions across premium or large-scale retaildevelopments.
• Extensive existing relationships and a demonstrable networkwithin the retail industry.
• Strong relationships with national retailers, major retailgroups and multinational/international brands.
• In-depth knowledge of the South African retail property andleasing market.
• Strong understanding of retailer expansion strategies, tenantmix principles and retail development fundamentals.
• Demonstrated experience negotiating complex commercial leasetransactions.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen.
• Excellent negotiation, presentation and relationship-managementskills.
• Ability to engage confidently with senior executives, businessowners and multinational retail organisations.
• Strong market intelligence and an established reputation withinthe retail property sector.