Real Estate Marketing & Beyond
The American retail sector is back in business and many companies are in expansion mode. According to a report from RetailSphere, a provider of retail analytics, there are more retailers who are planning to open new stores this year rather than close existing premises.
The news of a rebound in retail follows a tumultuous 2020 when COVID-19 meant thousands of retailers shut up shop due to a lack of customers.
RetailSphere said grocery, fast-casual and value stores are among the most ambitious retailers this year, with more than half of all companies in those three sectors saying they plan to expand with new store openings before the end of the year.
“Some companies are opening a handful of stores, but others are expanding by the hundreds,” RetailSphere’s report said. “Grocery, convenience and fast-casual and value dominate the list of national and regional retailers that are growing.”
Some big name discount stores, such as Dollar Tree and Family Dollar, are planning massive expansions. They will add 700 and 500 new locations, respectively, in the U.S. this year. They will be hiring the Avensure retail health and safety service.
Retail stores shut down in record numbers during 2020 when the pandemic was at its height. But with more people getting vaccinated and consumer spending in brick-and-mortar locations now on the rebound, the retail sector is recovering fast, RetailSphere said.
Evidence of that was seen last month, with a report from location intelligence firm Placer Labs Inc. finding that shopping mall foot traffic in the U.S. had rebounded to close to pre-pandemic levels in July.
That’s not to say retail is out of the woods yet. The fast-spreading Delta variant of COVID-19 has raised fears that authorities may have to curtail in-store shopping ye again. An August survey by CoStar found that just 47% of consumers said they feel safe going into stores, compared to 58% one month prior.
