Burlington Stores, Inc

Calvin Chung

Development Excellence Champion

Calvin Chung is Executive Vice President, Property Development at Burlington Stores, Inc., bringing extensive experience in retail real estate, expansion strategy, and global growth initiatives. He focuses on identifying opportunities, leading development programs, and driving sustainable store growth through strategic execution.

Having diverse experience managing growth programs across the US, Europe, and Asia has significantly shaped my approach to driving growth and expansion in the retail sector.  Working in different markets gave me a more strategic perspective and a deeper understanding of varying customer behaviors, cultural expectations, and market dynamics. It has taught me the importance of adapting retail and property development strategies to meet the unique needs of each region while still maintaining a consistent brand vision. This is extremely helpful in my current role at Burlington Stores, where we operate over 1,200 stores across the continental United States and Puerto Rico.  Overall, my global exposure has helped me stay agile, customer-focused and data-driven when identifying opportunities for sustainable growth and long-term expansion.

Transforming Retail Real Estate Strategy

One of the key trends transforming site selection, real estate strategy, and property development today is the increasing need for creativity and innovation in identifying viable locations.  The market is now much tighter than it was historically, with limited new developments and greater competition for quality sites. This means retailers can no longer rely on traditional approaches alone.  As a result, companies need a much deeper understanding of their brand, operational requirements, and long-term growth strategy – specifically what can and cannot be adapted within a site. At Burlington, as part of our growth strategy of reaching 1500 stores by 2028, we have averaged opening more than 100 new locations a year over the last few years. Embracing flexibility and creativity in real estate is crucial for achieving this goal and allows my teams to consider tactics like reconfiguring store formats, non-traditional locations, or adapting to mixed-use developments and evolving consumer patterns. Retailers willing to be agile and think strategically about both real estate and customer accessibility are in a much stronger position to drive successful expansion in today’s environment.

Balancing Speed, Cost, and Value

Balancing speed to market, cost efficiency and long-term asset value starts with recognizing that speed and quality are often seen as contradictions – but in reality, both can be achieved with the right foundation in place.  For me, it comes down to building the right team, establishing strong processes and leveraging the right tools to create consistency and accountability throughout the development cycle.  When you invest time and effort into developing your team and creating clear communication and decision-making structures, projects move quickly without sacrificing quality or long-term value.  A strong, aligned team is ultimately what allows organizations to execute efficiently, manage costs effectively and still deliver assets that support sustainable growth for the business over time.

Leading Teams Through Market Change

One of the most valuable leadership lessons I learned is that a simple and clear strategy, followed by excellent execution, is the key to successfully guiding teams through complex projects and changing market conditions. In fast-moving environments, teams perform best when priorities are clearly defined and everyone understands the overall objective. I also learned the importance of being nimble and adaptable.  Market conditions, timelines and business needs can change quickly, so leaders must be able to make decisions efficiently while keeping teams aligned and focused.  Another critical lesson is the ability to simplify complex issues.  Development projects often involve many moving parts and competing priorities, but strong leadership means breaking challenges down into clear, actionable steps that teams can confidently execute.  When teams have clarity, accountability and trust, they move faster and deliver stronger results.

Building Relationships for Long-Term Success

One of the most important pieces of advice I would give to professionals pursuing a career in property development and real estate leadership is to focus on building meaningful relationships.  This industry is built on trust, reputation and long-term partnerships. How you treat people matters just as much as the deals themselves.  It’s also important to approach every deal fairly and with integrity. Good real estate leaders understand that sustainable success comes from creating value for all parties involved and maintaining strong professional relationships over time. I also encourage professionals to stay open to taking on different challenges and experiences throughout their careers.  Some of the greatest growth comes from stepping outside of your comfort zone, learning new aspects of the business and adapting to different markets, teams and situations. Being curious, flexible and willing to continuously learn is what ultimately helps build long-term success in this industry.