SHOPPING CENTER INSIGHTS BY JEFF DERVECHBlog

Inflation has hit a lot of people’s pockets in different ways, but it turns out more people are buying groceries than ever before. Grocery store spending increased 8% year over year. It appears that people are still out spending at a strong rate. Even restaurant sales increased by 1.4% from September to October. Grocery inflation has remained high but did in fact decline in October compared with September.  The Census Bureau also reported that people...

Chipotle is the only restaurant chain to own all of its own stores. It is very exciting to see that they have been doing well and just opened their 500th store in Kentucky with their infamous “Chipotlane,” which is what they call their new drive-thru concepts. The store is excited to announce its next phase of growth by making a big splash in 2023 and opening roughly 250-285 new stores. The chain stated that their...

There is no doubt about it, people are out shopping at brick-and-mortar stores. According to a survey conducted by the National Retail Federation, more people plan to shop in stores than online this holiday season. “After more than two years of heavy online shopping, consumers are ready to get back to the sport of shopping,” said Marshal Cohen, chief retail industry advisor for NPD. “Despite saying they plan on scaling back holiday spending this year,...

Target corporations’ newest location in Katy, Texas is 20,000 Sq. Ft. larger than its traditional stores. The retail giant has seen more and more customers ordering online for pickup at the store and sees this as a great way to enhance the customer experience. They want to be able to serve as a fulfillment hub and not just a retail store where you go to physically shop. The new store design has larger windows for...

Shake Shack reported Q3 earning jumping 18% since 2021 and 8% in Q3 alone with strong sales since Labor Day. The CEO, Randy Grutti attributes this growth as strong performance in Urban markets and people going back to offices and simply being out and about more post pandemic. Shake Shack has 260 locations throughout the United States with 35 currently under construction and 1/3 of those new locations will soon feature drive-thru’s. The company is...

As consumers face inflation, retailers are doing their best to capture any dollars they can this holiday season. Simon Property Group, one of the largest mall and outlet owners in the country has decided to roll out a new sales holiday with their retailers and calling it “National Outlet Shopping Day” similar to “Amazon Prime Day.” The group states that they have been wanting to do something like this since 2019 but had to push...

Starbucks is opening a 23,000 sq. ft. store which will span three stories throughout the empire state building. This location will offer many unique items and be more experiential. They will debut its only cold pressed espresso beverages which was developed using state of the art technology by the Starbucks Research and Development team. “The store will offer Starbucks Reserve signature beverages—such as the Hazelnut Bianco Latte, Whiskey Barrel Aged Cold Brew, and Nitro Almond...

Retail inventories have been starting to fill up post-pandemic. With the influx of inventory, retailers are starting to market huge sales early this holiday season in hopes that shoppers will start early. For example, Wal-Mart is already promoting massive discounts on tech gadgets, air fryers and toys. Amazon is having a two-day sale and Target already started marketing Black Friday sales items. These retailers understand that the American consumer has less discretionary money to spend...

Malls will always be a great spot for retailers as they bring in heavy foot traffic, have ample parking and an array of demographics, however, some stores are looking at stand-alone options outside of malls for various reasons. With the changing consumer behavior, malls have started adding more entertainment and experiential offerings to attract clientele, for example, some malls now have indoor ski slopes, Ferris wheels, bowling alleys, movie theatres, and gyms. Since the pandemic...

A recent survey conducted by “Mood Media” across the U.S., U.K., Spain, France, and China has revealed that the three most important characteristics to shoppers are: #1 – Atmosphere, #2 – Digital in-store, and #3 – Sustainability. As we have learned post pandemic, it comes as no surprise that brick and mortar stores are here to stay. People are back out shopping and enjoy the shopping experience with friends and family. The top trait that...

The creators of Topgolf have developed a new indoor miniature golf concept that is set to take off with a recent $150 million investment from BlackRock. Currently, there are two locations in the U.S. (Atlanta and Chicago) and four locations in the U.K. Two locations will be complete this year in Boston and Miami and expansion is slated to continue into 2023 in other major cities throughout the United States. The concept is unique in...

Subway’s focus and strategy for growth has always been on opening more stores, but now they are ready for their next phase of redevelopment. They are really trying to focus more on the customer experience and providing better service. Subway will be working on improving upon the stores that are already existing as opposed to opening new stores with entrepreneurial franchisees and those who have had success with operations and hiring great personnel to operate...

Despite concerns about inflation and a recession, restaurants are preforming well. The rate hikes are also an indicator of a strong and stable economy. According to the CEO of Texas Roadhouse, Jerry Morgan, their restaurants are seeing seasonal attendance similar to what they were seeing in 2019. Although sales have dipped in August, “it appears that more people are getting back to their normal routines when it comes to dining habits, work schedules, and vacations,”...

We have seen a major surge in drive-thru orders since the pandemic. Many fast-food chains are trying to speed up wait times and make the drive-thru experience more efficient. Panera Bread has decided to test out a program called Tori which is an artificial intelligence technology software. The chain started testing it out at two of their New York locations, customers pull up and have their order taken by a robot. Customer service representatives are...

Walmart understands that customers want to know more about their food, where it comes from and what is in it. In order to improve upon their product offering in grocery stores, they have partnered with McLaren Farms and invested in their own line of Sustainable Beef. Customers are looking more closely at the ingredients in their foods and Wal-Mart wants to be able to provide them with antibiotic-free, hormone-free, and even organic alternatives. The new...

According to the National Retail Federation, consumer sales were up 0.8% month-to-month from June to July. Although people are still concerned with inflation, it seems consumers are continuing to shop at a similar pace. When looking back at sales from over a year ago, retail sales are actually up 10.3%. The top categories with sales up in include online sales, building materials and garden supplies, and grocery stores. According to the article: “Online and other...

Wendy’s is striving to keep up with current trends on how patrons are ordering and has come up with an entirely revamped brick and mortar layout. The improved layout will feature shelves inside for ordering online and picking up in store as well as a window designed specifically for delivery drivers. There will also be special parking for the grab and go customers. Wendy’s has seen that many of their sales are coming from digital...

So far this year, the U.S. retail market has shown absolute strength. Although, some have been wary about the state of the economy this summer due to inflation, it has not stopped retailers from opening new stores. Some however, are hitting the pause button on new store openings going into the latter half of the year to see how the state of the economy pans out and whether inflation will go down. The types of...

Macy’s is evolving and adapting to consumer behavior changes by opening smaller department stores that compete with stores such as T.J. Maxx. Macy’s plans to open three “Market by Macy’s stores” in cities across the United States which are just 1/5th of the size of their typical department stores. They are shifting and opening stores where they see many people shopping online but also want to have a brick-and-mortar presence. These stores will have a...

Many suburban retailers have been doing more business than urban locations for the past few years. Due to the Pandemic and an increase in people working from home, they are shopping closer to their homes and continue to do so. Now, there has been a shift in the workforce with people going into the office a few times a week vs. full time and it seems to be benefitting both, urban and suburban properties. According...

Retailers are seeing large amounts of inventory in certain types of products and are being forced to sell them at a discount or halt purchasing from certain vendors in order to get rid of the excess that may be taking up valuable space in warehouses. The main reason? Consumers preferences have shifted through the Pandemic up to now. For example, more people are searching for back to office apparel in lieu of athleisure wear. During...

Enhancing the drive-thru experience has been a new hot topic since the pandemic hit. People are demanding more contactless options, and a seamless experience when picking up their food. Taco Bell is one fast food chain that has adapted to customer demands and is opening its first futuristic looking restaurant concept called ‘Defy’ in Minnesota. The design is a two-story structure and features four drive-thrus below the restaurant to serve customers at record speeds. Three...

In a recent study conducted on Yelp, more customers than ever are writing reviews mentioning higher costs of prices at their favorite restaurants. In the first quarter of 2022, inflation hit record highs since the 1980’s. Many restaurants are reporting having to increase the prices of their menu items or cut back on portion size offerings; however, the restaurants are seeing little to no decline in the amount of pushback they are receiving from customers....

Grocery delivery has become a widely popular trend. About one year ago, large grocery chain Kroger opened its first Customer Fulfillment Center (CFC) in Groveland, Florida to service the greater Tampa Bay, Orlando, and Jacksonville markets. With much success in these markets and with its e-commerce delivery business model, the chain recently announced it will be expanding its reach into the South Florida market and hiring approximately 200 more workers. Instead of going to a...

With the rise in gas prices coupled with the Biden administrations $5 Billion budget to support State EV charging station infrastructure, it is highly likely we will be seeing an even greater increase in demand for Electric Vehicles. From 2016 to 2020, the increase in number of electric vehicles has tripled to a total of 1.8 million registered in the U.S. For building owners, especially residential, it is critical that they begin investing in the...

Although Target increased sales in Q1 of 2022, they missed profit margins by almost $1 billion from last year. Net profit margin decreased due to the high costs of transportation and freight. It is refreshing to see that their “total revenue rose 4.0% to $25.17 billion, above estimates of $24.48 billion. Same-store sales increased 3.3%, also more than expected. Sales growth was led by frequently purchased categories, including food & beverage, beauty and household essentials.” Unfortunately,...

Demand for leasing space has increased significantly from 2020 to 2021. Many businesses that were already on the brink of closing were propelled to close during the pandemic and new, stronger tenants have taken their places within retail strip centers. Retail commercial real estate firms have stated that from March 2021 to March 2022 was the strongest year for retail tenant lease ups in nearly five years. With the pandemic winding down and pent-up demand...

With inflation at historic highs, it is severely impacting restaurants bottom line, at least for now! Take for instance Chipotle. High prices for avocados, dairy products and tortillas have forced the fast causal chain Chipotle to raise prices last quarter above 4%. Even with this increase it is not allowing them to achieve the margins that they would like to obtain. Chipotle CFO, Jack Hartung said, “there are no signs that food or packaging prices...

Amazon opened its first suburban convenience store concept called “Amazon Go” in Washington on April 26, 2022. The new concept is tailored to the busy, on the go, fast-paced commuters who are looking to grab a snack or meal quickly. Patrons simply enter the store using the Amazon shopping app. Once you’re in the store, you can grab the products you want and go! There are essentially no lines or checkout. Some of the product...

The convenience store retailer, Wawa Inc. is planning major growth and adding hundreds of new locations that will connect its stores along the East coast and into Florida. With over 1,000 stores already, the chain is planning to open an additional 1,800 locations by 2030. Wawa is looking to fill the void of stores between Virginia and Florida with expansion into new states. The store will build a few different concepts, one being “traditional,” which...

With the rise of inflation, speculation is whirling as to how often consumers will continue to eat out at restaurants due to increase in prices across the board. One recent study is now proving this to be true. Middle income Americans are worrying more about their budgets now than they ever have before, reviewing the costs of all items that they elect to spend their money on. This is a direct impact from the recent...

With the shift in consumers buying so many goods online, Walgreens was challenged to stay competitive in the pharmaceutical sector and is changing how it fills prescriptions to be more efficient. Walgreens has opened one of its first micro-fulfillment centers in Texas to fill prescriptions using robotic arms. Within this facility there are approximately 220 employees including pharmacist’s that fill roughly 35,000 prescriptions per day. Walgreens plans to open 22 more fulfillment centers throughout the...

The automotive net lease market is not slowing down. Retail tenants that include an auto related use are much more resistant to e-commerce, essentially recession proof, and are considered to be very stable and secure users of retail space. With close to 282 million cars on the road in the United States, car services and auto part businesses are essential to consumers.  “On average, American’s drive 12,000 miles each year and spend 1.5 percent of...

Drive-thru lanes have been around for decades and not much has changed. However, since the Pandemic, many restaurant tenants single handedly witnessed drive thru lanes and take out operational components as lifelines to keeping their businesses afloat. Due to this, more restaurants are interested and desire to add drive-thru lane components to their current prototype and future expansion plans for customer convenience and the enhancement of the overall experience.  “According to the NPD Group, drive-thru restaurant...

Ghost kitchens are a popular concept that have been on the rise even since before the pandemic. Now, with changing consumer demand, labor shortages, as well as the advances in technology, Ghost kitchens are thriving.   One of the main drivers of the ghost kitchens concept prior to the pandemic was that it involved less overhead due to the smaller kitchen only footprint and virtually no employees except kitchen staff. This ghost kitchen food model allows...

The rising increase in preventative medicine and the awareness surrounding people’s desire to keep healthy has led to the growth of many new health and wellness concepts that are finding homes within neighborhood retail strip centers. These non-traditional “med-tail” concepts include alternative medicine, acupuncture, massage therapy, cryotherapy and physical therapy. Instead of renting space within healthcare facilities, health and wellness tenants have been strategically positioning themselves in highly visible, high traffic shopping centers. Med-tail tenants...