Actually this is one the most frequently discussed topic and it has been discussed before. It would be helpful if some of the users who have been with the game for a longer time and understand the mechanism behind it can post an article on CapLab Wikia.

Sadly the AI firm placement hasn't been addressed yet. Only stores should go into expensive areas and factories, farms and RD centers in the cheapest possible.

I don't think so but I'd love an option to make an offer to an AI store to buy it and then have the AI decide if what we are offering them is enough to entertain selling it to us or not instead of waiting on the AI to decide to either close the store and sell the land or close the store but sit on the land for the rest of the game. Highly annoying at times.

I know that if the AI came along and offered me 20M over my stores value I'd sell it to them unless I had some kind of strategy going that I dont' think the AI is currently even capable of.

I would have to agree with that observation, with another note, the AI loves to cockblock the player by placing retail stores in such a manner that prevents anyone placing something adjacent. Honestly how many 1 x 1 stores are there.

On another note, is there a way to buy land or a store of another company other than when it has a for sale sign up? (Thought of taking over a company and selling it, but thats just too much for a small peice of land)

I've noticed that AI tries to place it's firms in the highest possible "traffic index" spot.

The problem's that AI doesn't place retail firms only, but every possible firm it can.

So, you encounter that factories and R&D centers and even farms are in the middle of 5th avenue in NYC, occupying space (that should go to retail) in firms that do not benefit with the "traffic index".

That's no intelligent behavior, spending millions for a "premium" spot just to place a building that does not benefit from that premium variable.