Plain Talk

Yes, yes, I know, the retail landscape is shifting and as our world becomes more digital, so does our shopping experience.

However, despite the increasing investment in digital shopping, one thing has proven to be consistent: brick and mortar stores remain a principal channel for retailers.

Online shopping still just makes up about 7% of retail sales in the U.S., while brick and mortar stores hold the other 93% - meaning that for a majority of retailers, a physical store location still serves as the primary pillar on which the rest of the business is built.

More important than merely having a brick and mortar store, however, is the quality of the market and the site location itself.

Given that, Marcus & Millichap released the National Retail Index, which ranks the most attractive U.S. cities for retail real estate based on a variety of variables including vacancy levels, rents, new retail construction and active investment marketplaces.

According to the report, the top 15 cities for retail investment are:

1. San Francisco

2. New York City

3. San Jose

4. Austin

5. San Diego

6. Houston

7. Denver

8. Orange County

9. Seattle-Tacoma

10. Los Angeles

11. Miami

12. Dallas/Fort Worth

13. San Antonio

14. Boston

15. Baltimore

The Future of Retail

Even though this may seem like a bold claim to some, the future of the retail industry is still solidly anchored in brick and mortar – whether you’re moving into urban, rural, or Canadian markets.

Traditional retailers need to pick the best markets, select the best site locations within those markets, determine the optimal number of locations for each market and keep up with consumer expectations – both in-store and online.

Buxton is the leading customer analytics firm that helps organizations identify who their customers are, where those customers are located, and the value those customers have to the organization.

2651 South Polaris Drive
Fort Worth, TX 76137
1-888-2BUXTON

buxtonco.com