Articles

Planet Fitness visits rose 6.7% year over year in Q3. See where same-store traffic grew and which region lagged.

McDonald’s October promotions drove its busiest weeks of 2026, even as visits trailed last year. See how gas prices shaped traffic.

CAVA’s Q3 visits climbed 16.3% YoY as the chain kept expanding. Find out how Portillo’s returned to same-store growth on a very different schedule.

Denny’s and IHOP narrowed their visit declines in Q3 2026 while Waffle House kept growing. See the strength each legacy breakfast chain can build on.

Taco Bell visits fell 10.1% YoY in Q3 2026 after the cyclospora outbreak. See how quickly the chain bounced back, and how KFC and Habit did.

Casual dining visits rose just 0.2% in Q3 2026, yet four chains posted strong growth. Find out what each is getting right.

Luxury high-street corridors experienced their busiest summers in four years in 2026. Find out how holiday crowds are set to reshape their audience.

Sprouts’ same-store visits rebounded to roughly flat in Q3 2026. Find out which markets held up best, and why.

Dillard’s has managed to outperform the wider department store space in 2025 by sustaining traffic during key months, benefiting from a Sunbelt-heavy footprint, and positioning itself as a weekend destination. Its clearance locations have also thrived, highlighting the enduring importance of value-oriented shopping in a cautious consumer climate.

Gap Inc. is expanding into beauty and accessories to offset apparel’s sameness, capture value-driven and aspirational shoppers, and build brand identity. With overlap in beauty and off-price traffic, success depends on delivering trend-forward products and in-store expertise.

Beauty and fitness retail stores have not only recovered from the pandemic, but significantly surpassed pre-pandemic foot traffic levels. In the fitness space, this growth is in part driven by increased visitor frequency, and in the beauty space, continued growth hinges on the integration of a store experience that complements digital shopping behavior. 

Apparel is diverging in 2025 as luxury and off-price outperform traditional retailers. Visit data shows luxury gaining ground among high-income shoppers, while off-price continues to scale with broad consumer appeal. Traditional apparel lags as value and exclusivity dominate demand.