What Retail Apocalypse? Reviewing Trends in US Brick-and-Mortar Retail

Executive Summary

• Total US store numbers fell in 2017 for the first time since 2009. The decline was driven by apparel retailers and regional malls, which are more skewed toward apparel.
• Open-air shopping centers are benefiting from the growth of off-price, dollar and grocery stores. These shopping centers showed resilient occupancy rates in 2017.
• Superregional malls, which are leisure destinations as well as retail destinations, registered solid occupancy rates across 2017 despite the impact of retail bankruptcies.
• A number of major shopping center owners are pivoting away from apparel specialist stores. Some are focusing on bringing in grocery and other everyday-goods retailers, while others are moving toward mixed-use spaces that incorporate leisure and entertainment venues.