Placer 100 Index for Retail and Dining: August 2024 Recap

How did the Placer 100 Index for Retail & Dining fare in August 2024? We dove into the data to find out.

Back to School and Beyond

The final days of summer were a critical retail moment, with all eyes on back-to-school traffic performance. Analyzing year-over-year (YoY) foot traffic performance for the Placer 100 Index for Retail and Dining shows that since May 2024, visits have been on a positive growth trajectory – reaching a summer highpoint of 3.0% in August.

Back to school, it seems, was a significant driver of retail and dining foot traffic. And recent indications that consumer confidence has turned a corner may bode well for the fast-approaching holiday season.

College Towns Make The Honor Roll

How much of an impact did back-to-school activity have on retail and dining visits in August 2024? Further analysis of the Placer 100 Index reveals that the top-performing metro areas last month were college towns, which suggests that a surge in students out and about – shopping for back-to-school essentials and dining out – was a likely driver of local foot traffic. 

The State College, PA Metro Area, home to Penn State University, for example, saw a 14.5% YoY change in overall retail and dining visits in August 2024. And other college towns with large student populations were also top YoY visit performers during the month. Blacksburg-Christiansburg, VA (14.2%), home to Virginia Tech, Ithaca, NY (12.1%), home to Cornell University, and Bloomington, IN (12.1%), home to Indiana University Bloomington – to name a few – all experienced significant visit growth compared to August 2023.

Discounters Dominated

While the Placer 100 Index experienced foot traffic gains last month, digging deeper into the data reveals that in August 2024 consumers continued to prioritize value as they dined and shopped. 

In addition to rapidly growing discount grocer Aldi, four value-focused chains were among August 2024’s top YoY visit performers. Five Below (17.5%), Big Lots (15.7%), HomeGoods (13.8%), and Ollie’s Bargain Outlet (13.7%) all showed impressive YoY traffic – and three out of the four were also among the top chains in terms of YoY visit-per-location growth. 

HomeGoods and Big Lots Surged

One of the biggest YoY visits and visits-per-location winners in August 2024 was Big Lots, which recently announced voluntary Chapter 11 proceedings and an ownership transition while continuing to rightsize. With soon-to-be-closed locations offering steep markdowns, the chain has been driving significant traffic. And since Big Lots offers small-ticket items as well as big-ticket home furnishings, a back-to-school push likely contributed to the chain’s jump in August visits. 

HomeGoods was also among the top chains in August 2024, with both YoY visits and visits-per-location (9.8%) growth. The chain’s social media campaign featuring college students furnishing their living spaces appears to have buoyed foot traffic during the homestretch of back-to-school shopping. 

On to Greater Heights?

With summer in the rearview mirror, the focus shifts to fall and the fast-approaching holiday season. Will retail and dining visits sustain their momentum in the critical months ahead? 

Visit Placer.ai to find out.

This blog includes data from Placer.ai Data Version 2.1, which introduces a new dynamic model that stabilizes daily fluctuations in the panel, improving accuracy and alignment with external ground truth sources.