Marta Villa

Marta Person Villa is a Senior Vice President at CBRE, where she rejoined the firm in 2022 for her second tenure. She brings more than 37 years of commercial real estate experience, with deep expertise in retail strategy, landlord and tenant representation, and multi-market advisory services, primarily serving New Jersey and the broader tri-state region.

Marta represents a diverse portfolio of institutional and private clients, including Transformco Properties, SJP Properties, The Prudential Insurance Company of America, Asset Restructuring, and numerous private ownership groups. Her work is distinguished by a strategic, value-creation approach that integrates leasing, site planning, and market positioning.

Over the course of her career, Marta has completed several high-impact retail transactions and redevelopment assignments. A signature achievement includes the repositioning of approximately 250,000 square feet in downtown Newark, anchored by a 65,000-square-foot Burlington Stores, delivered across multiple levels. Combined, the Newark retail leasing has generated an estimated $100 million in property value and supported the creation of 450–500 jobs.

Additional notable assignments include the full site acquisition, planning, and lease-up of the Wall Promenade, an approximately 80,000-square-foot retail center along Route 35 in Wall Township, New Jersey, and the 134,000-square-foot Forman Mills flagship location at Bay Plaza in the Bronx (300 Baychester Avenue). These projects exemplify her ability to execute complex big-box retail strategies that drive both tenant success and asset appreciation.

Marta also brings extensive tenant representation experience across a wide range of national and regional retailers. Her assignments have included site selection, market strategy, and lease negotiation for brands such as The Container Store, Trek Bicycle, Wingstop, Dunkin’, and Tempur-Pedic. This work spans urban, suburban, and highway retail environments and reflects her ability to align tenant growth strategies with optimal real estate outcomes.

Prior to her brokerage career, Marta spent 17 years in downtown revitalization and municipal leadership, including serving as a city manager and economic development executive. She is a two-term President of Downtown New Jersey and has served as a Board Director for the International Downtown Association. She is also a 30+ year member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), reflecting her longstanding commitment to the retail real estate industry.

Marta is widely recognized for bridging public and private sector perspectives, combining deep market knowledge with economic development expertise to deliver transformative retail outcomes.