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Brick-and-mortar retail continues to evolve – and while consumers have always turned to physical commercial spaces to gather, shop, eat, and be entertained, we predict that 2025 will be the year of brick and mortar stores as Brand Amplifiers. What do we mean by that? Simply put, the more we have options to do things online – be it shop, communicate, work, or play – the more we also crave the opportunity to do these things in the physical world, and brick and mortar is at the center of making these experiences larger than life. It’s no surprise, then, that even digitally native Gen Z is still regularly visiting physical stores.
We’ve written extensively about the importance of brick-and-mortar locations for digital brands and of standalone boutiques for wholesale brands – within the four walls of a branded store, marketers have the ability to control the narrative. From the visual merchandising to the customer associate, the brand’s personality and DNA can really come to life.
The recent Meta Popup Lab on Melrose Ave in the West Hollywood Design District – created to test its Ray-Ban smart glasses – offers a great example of brick and mortar’s potential to amplify digital brands and make them come to life. While the venue only opened for a little under two months, visitation data and audience profile analysis reveals the consumer demand for the experience as well as the brand amplification value that Meta received from the pop up.
Weekends tend to be the most popular recreation days, as that’s when most people have free time to shop and explore. And looking at visitation patterns shows that this trend held true at the Meta Popup Lab and in the wider Design District retail corridor in which the pop up was operating. But the Meta Popup Lab actually received a larger share of its visits on Saturdays and Sundays compared to the wider shopping corridor – indicating that visitors were dedicating precious weekend time to visit the pop up and make sure they could get the full Meta experience without feeling rushed by their various weekday constraints.
Diving into the visit duration at Meta Lab reveals that over a quarter of visits lasted between 15-29 minutes, and roughly 1 in 6 lasted 30-44 minutes. That time frame is enough to try on some frames, speak to a customer associate, and make a purchase decision.
Meta Lab also drew more visitors from trade areas with higher income and smaller households compared to the wider West Hollywood Design District. This indicates that, as may be expected, Meta Lab attracted a relatively young and affluent audience – tech-savvy visitors with the disposable income to spend.
The success of the Meta Popup Lab underscores the potential of brick-and-mortar spaces as brand amplifiers, transforming digital concepts into immersive, tangible experiences. As consumers continue to seek deeper connections with brands, physical retail offers a unique opportunity to engage, educate, and excite in ways that digital alone cannot. In an era where online and offline worlds are increasingly intertwined, brands that strategically leverage physical spaces will stand out by creating lasting impressions that go beyond the screen.
The Placer 100 Index for Retail & Dining is a curated, dynamic list of leading chains operating across the United States. It includes chains from a variety of industries, such as superstores, grocery, dollar stores, apparel, full-service dining, QSR, and more.
Visits to the Placer 100 Retail & Dining Index increased 3.7% in January 2025 relative to January 2024, indicating that – despite the recent dip in consumer confidence – traffic to brick-and-mortar retail and dining venues remains resilient.
We’ve written extensively about Chili’s ongoing success, so it came as no surprise that the casual dining chain topped the Placer 100 chart again in January 2025: Overall visits and visits per location grew a whopping 29.3% and 30.2%, respectively, compared to January 2024. Barnes & Noble has also been thriving for a while, and the legacy bookseller continued its winning streak with double-digit growth in both overall visits and visits per location in the first month of 2025.
Other notable chart-toppers from January 2025 include LA Fitness, which has been rightsizing its fleet and closing locations throughout the country, leading to a 8.1% year-over-year (YoY) increase in average visits per location. CVS, which closed numerous venues in 2024 as well, has also seen its average visits per location shoot up.
Like Chili’s and Barnes & Noble, Warby Parker was among the January 2025 top 10 growth chains for both overall visits and visits per venue. The company is opening stores at a rapid rate with the long-term goal of 900 brick-and-mortar stores nationwide.
Warby is an expert in omnichannel integration, and the company continues to enhance the online customer experience even as it builds up a brick-and-mortar empire. And analyzing the brand’s January 2025 metrics along with its 2024 performance – when overall visits increased 16.8% while average visits per venue remained steady – reveals that this investment in both its physical and digital channels is paying off.
According to co-CEO and co-founder Dave Gilboa, brick-and-mortar venues accounted for around 70% of Warby Parker’s revenue as of Q3 2024 – an increase from 67% in Q3 2023 – though many customers who initially bought in-store made subsequent purchases online. This showcases the customer acquisition potential of physical stores, especially for companies who succeed in integrating and creating synergy between their offline and online presence. And some of Warby’s strongest e-commerce growth has taken place in metro areas where the brand has a significant physical presence – emphasizing the role that brick-and-mortar venues play in raising brand awareness and strengthening consumer engagement.
It seems, then, that Warby Parker's strategic offline expansion is not only driving in-store sales but also fueling online growth – demonstrating the powerful interplay between brick-and-mortar locations and digital engagement in strengthening customer loyalty and brand visibility.
For more Placer 100 Retail & Dining Index data, visit https://www.placer.ai/placer-100.
About the Placer.ai Mall Index: The Index analyzes data from 100 top-tier indoor malls, 100 open-air shopping centers (not including outlet malls) and 100 outlet malls across the country, in both urban and suburban areas. Placer.ai leverages a panel of tens of millions of devices and utilizes machine learning to make estimations for visits to locations across the country.
Shopping centers started the year off strong with year-over-year growth across all mall formats analyzed: January 2025 visits increased by 5.5% for indoor malls and by 2.9% and 2.7% for open-air shopping centers and outlet malls, respectively, compared to January 2024. The January visit growth is particularly impressive given this year’s arctic blast which kept many consumers home for much of the month.
Relatively few mall-goers visit the mall twice (or more) in one month. Open-air shopping centers have the highest rate of returning monthly visitors – likely thanks to their extensive dining and entertainment options – but even this format only sees around a third of its visitors heading to an open-air shopping center more than once a month.
Comparing the share of returning visitors in January 2024 and 2025 for each format reveals that the share of returning (2+ times) visitors decreased YoY in January 2025, even as overall traffic increased. This means that last month’s visit growth was primarily driven by casual visitors, and could indicate that interest in malls is moving beyond regular patrons as the format now gains new customers – boding well for shopping centers’ potential in 2025.
Even though January visits increased YoY, traffic was still (expectedly) significantly lower than it was in December. The holidays are malls’ busiest season, and traffic between December 2024 and January 2025 dropped 36.1%, on average, across the three formats. And diving into the data reveals several shifts in audience profile and visitor behavior between December and January.
In terms of visitor behavior, dwell time across the three mall formats fell in January compared to December, indicating that all three shopping center types enjoy an increase in both the quantity and the quality of visits over the holiday season. The increase in dwell time in December seemed correlated with the increase in holiday visits: Outlet malls, which received the largest holiday visit boost, also had the biggest difference in dwell time between December and January (73.8 minutes compared to 68.7 minutes, or a 6.9% increase in dwell time in December). Meanwhile, open-air shopping centers, which received the smallest holiday visit boost, also saw the smallest difference in dwell time between December and January.
In terms of audience profile, the holidays seemed to drive more visits from members of households with children to all mall formats. This is likely due to several factors, including parents looking for a one-stop-shop for their gift lists and to the numerous family-friendly holiday activities offered by malls across the country, such as mall Santas and holiday markets.
The January 2025 Mall Index data suggests significant growth potential for malls in 2025. The increase in one-off visits may indicate that malls are attracting a broader audience, signaling an opportunity for retailers and shopping centers to convert these casual visitors into loyal customers. Will malls leverage this momentum to ensure that today’s occasional mall-goers become tomorrow’s repeat shoppers?
Visit placer.ai to find out.
The Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles will face off in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday in a rematch of the Super Bowl two years ago. And on their journeys to the big game, each team hosted a conference championship in their home stadium – in both the 2023 and 2025 playoffs. How did the visitors to these games compare, and what might it mean for this Super Bowl sequel? Read on to find out.
The AFC and NFC Championships determine the teams that will play in the Super Bowl – and die hard fans travel from near and far to attend big games.
The AFC Championship in both 2023 (for the 2022 season) and 2025 (for the 2024 season) took place at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium – home of the Kansas City Chiefs – with the Chiefs playing the Cincinnati Bengals in 2023 and the Buffalo Bills in 2025. In 2025, GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium saw an increased share of visitors traveling less than 30 miles to the stadium (45.1%), compared to 2023 (43.6%). Fans tend to rally around a winning team, and an increase in local attendees suggests a boost in support from the Chief’s core fanbase in the Kansas City, MO area as the team looked to take another step towards winning three straight Super Bowls. But the stadium also received an elevated share of attendees traveling 100-250 miles to the stadium in 2025 (24.7%) compared to 2023 (21.5%) – a distance that includes Omaha, NE, Tulsa, OK, and Wichita, KS – indicating that Chiefs Kingdom has also bolstered its strongholds somewhat further away over the last two years.
On the NFC side, the Philadelphia Eagles played at their home stadium – Lincoln Financial Field – in both the 2023 NFC Championship (for the 2022 season) against the San Francisco 49ers and the 2025 NFC Championship (for the 2024 season) against the Washington Commanders. And between 2023 and 2025, the share of visitors who traveled between 100-250 miles to Lincoln Financial Field doubled (from 6.0% to 12.0%) – likely thanks to the D.C. area fans who made the trip to cheer on the Washington Commanders in 2025. The share of attendees who traveled between 30-100 miles also increased in 2025 relative to 2023 (23.4% vs. 21.5%), which could reflect visitors from areas adjacent to Philadelphia and Washington D.C. who also support one of the two competing NFC East teams.
During the upcoming Super Bowl at Caesars Stadium in New Orleans, LA, neither team will have home-field advantage. But if past Super Bowls provide any indication, a sizable local audience is to be expected, along with fans traveling from the teams’ hometowns and other large population centers.
Analyzing the audience segmentation of the stadium visitors at the 2023 and 2025 AFC and NFC Championships can provide further insight into the fans that were in attendance – and those who might attend the Super Bowl.
Despite the geographical distance between GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in the Midwest and Lincoln Financial Field in the Mid-Atlantic, their audiences during these high-profile contests were surprisingly similar. Trade area analysis of the two stadiums combined with the Spatial.ai: PersonaLive dataset revealed that the “Ultra Wealthy Families,” “Upper Suburban Diverse Families,” “Wealthy Suburban Families,” and “Young Professionals” segments were the largest audience groups in the captured markets of both stadiums for the 2023 and 2025 Conference Championships. (A venue’s captured market refers to the census block groups (CBGs) from which it draws its visitors, weighted to reflect the share of visits from each one – and thus reflects the profile of the venue’s visitor base.)
This suggests that despite regional differences and ticket-price differentials, for the biggest games, fans in the stands come from relatively similar households. This may also be the case for the Super Bowl, which rotates annually between NFL stadiums.
Moving on from the Conference Championships, the stakes will be even higher this coming Sunday at Super Bowl LIX. How will visitation and demographic patterns stack up?Visit Placer.ai to find out.
Shake Shack and Wingstop, two major names in the fast-casual and quick-service restaurant category, have had a standout year. Both chains enjoyed impressive visits while executing wide-ranging expansion strategies.
We dive into the location analytics for both brands to recap 2024’s success.
Shake Shack and Wingstop performed extremely well in 2024, with visits up 21.7% and 23.0%, respectively, compared to 2023 – thanks in large part to aggressive fleet expansions. Both chains enjoyed their strongest year-over-year (YoY) visit growth in the first half of the year, with H1 2024 visits to Shake Shack up 26.0% and to Wingstop up 28.7% compared to the same period in 2023. And while growth slowed down slightly towards the end of 2024, the two brands still ended the year with 16.8% (Shake Shack) and 11.6% (Wingstop) Q4 YoY visit growth – quite an impressive metric, especially given the wider dining headwinds.
Shake Shack and Wingstop are both in the midst of aggressive fleet expansions: Shake Shack opened 42 new locations and plans to triple that number in the coming years, while Wingstop added at least 138 new locations and also plans on adding hundreds of new stores in the coming years. Both companies have made suburban expansion a central focus of their growth strategies, and psychographic shifts in their captured markets over the past five years suggest this approach is working. Analyzing the chains’ visitor bases using the Esri: Tapestry dataset combined with Placer.ai captured market data reveals that Shake Shack increased the share of “Suburban Periphery” visitors in its trade area from 43.8% in 2019 to 45.4% in 2024. The share of the “Suburban Periphery” segment in Wingstop’s trade area rose from 23.8% to 24.9% during the same period. Wingstop also saw a decline in its share of “Urban Periphery” visitors while the share of the “Principal Urban Center” segment in both chains’ trade areas decreased during the analyzed period – further indicating growth in suburban markets.As more people migrate to the suburbs, offering convenient dining options outside of city centers is likely to remain a winning strategy for both chains.
While expansions helped drive the overall visit numbers up, the two chains also received several traffic spikes throughout the year driven by limited time offers (LTOs) and special menu launches. This strategy has recently proven successful for a number of QSR and fast-casual chains – Wendy’s, for example, finished 2024 with a 2.8% YoY increase in Q4 visits (0.7% YoY increase for 2024 as a whole) thanks in large part to its Krabby Patty Kollab LTO. Shake Shack received the most significant visit increase relative to its 2024 weekly visit average during its holiday special which included offers of free burgers every day from mid-December through Christmas Eve. Diners eagerly responded to the promotion, with weekly visits surging by 24.4% during the week of December 16th, 2024 relative to 2024’s weekly average. Similarly, Wingstop’s National Wing Day promo led to a 17.2% visit increase over the week of July 30th. Other promotional activities also influenced visits at these dining chains. For example, Shake Shack’s summer barbecue menu, which included a unique perk – a limited offer of “stain insurance” for customers who got excess BBQ sauce on their clothes – drove visits 13.8% higher than the weekly visit average. Similarly, Wingstop’s Summer of Flavor bundle drove visits to the chain during the week of July 22nd, 2024 by 6.6% relative to the 2024 weekly visit average. These promotions highlight the importance of creating buzz and offering exclusive deals to attract both new and returning customers.
Both Shake Shack and Wingstop enjoyed impressive visits in 2024 while expanding their fleets – but can the two chains continue this success into 2025? Visit Placer.ai/blog to keep up with the latest data-driven dining insights.
In December 2024, Saks Fifth Avenue finalized its acquisition of Neiman Marcus – forming a new parent company Saks Global. We dove into the foot traffic patterns and audience segmentation for the two department stores in order to better understand Saks Global’s positioning following the deal.
Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Neiman Marcus are four of the leading players in the luxury department store space. Analysis of the retailers’ relative visits share in 2024 reveals that Nordstrom claims the lion's share of combined visits between the four department stores (68.4% in 2024), distantly followed by Bloomingdale’s (14.9%). On their own, Saks (7.3%) and Neiman (9.5%) drive the smallest shares of visits, but together, the two department stores account for a greater share of visits than Bloomingdale’s, making Saks Global the second largest luxury department store player by share of visits.
In addition to a larger share of visits, by acquiring Neiman Marcus, Saks appears to gain an audience with a greater affinity for “accessible luxury”. Although a sizeable share of Saks’ visitors also visited a Nordstrom store (40.4%), an even larger share (just over half, or 50.1%) of Neiman’s visitors also visited the accessible luxury department stores. Some have posited that Saks Fifth Avenue could be positioned as an “accessible luxury brand”. However, the data suggests that Neiman may be better suited to compete for visits from “accessible luxury” shoppers.
Diving deeper into the retailers’ quarterly visit patterns further highlights how Saks stands to gain through its acquisition of Neiman. Of the four luxury department stores analyzed, Saks Fifth Avenue received the smallest share of its visits in Q4, while Neiman received the largest share of its visits over the holiday shopping season. So by acquiring Neiman, Saks Global benefits from a greater share of visits during a critical retail moment.
Along with visit share gains and a larger holiday boost, the acquisition of Neiman Marcus gives Saks Global access to a more affluent audience than Saks Fifth Avenue’s. Analysis of Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus’s trade areas combined with STI:PopStats data reveals that both retailers drive traffic from households with above-average incomes – but Neiman’s audience seems to be slightly more affluent: In Q4 2024, the median household income (HHI) of Neiman’s captured market was $112.8K/year, approximately $10K/year higher than Saks Fifth Avenue’s ($102.9K/year). A more affluent audience may better position Saks Global in the exclusive luxury space, particularly as it launches Authentic Luxury Group – a platform that aims to accelerate the growth of upscale brands like Barneys New York.
Further analysis of segmentation data reveals that Neiman Marcus also brings a more family-oriented audience to the Saks ecosystem. In Q4 2024, 26.2% of households in Neiman Marcus’ captured market were households with children – relatively near the 27.0% nationwide benchmark. Meanwhile, only 23.7% of households in Saks Fifth Avenue’s captured market were households with children. This suggests that the acquisition of Neiman allows Saks Global to drive more traffic from family-oriented households previously underserved by the Saks Fifth Avenue banner. Several Saks and Neiman locations are in close proximity to each other, so it’s conceivable that Saks Global will consolidate its real estate footprint in the future. If so, understanding audience segmentation could help the new parent company decide which retailer best serves the local market.
Saks Fifth Avenue’s acquisition of Neiman Marcus strengthens Saks Global’s position in luxury retail, boosting its visits share and access to a more affluent, family-oriented audience.How will the merger impact the luxury department store space moving forward? Visit Placer.ai to find out.
Many retail and dining chains performed well in 2024 despite the ongoing economic uncertainty. But with the consumer headwinds continuing into 2025, which brands can continue pulling ahead of the pack?
This report highlights 10 brands (in no particular order) that exhibit significant potential to grow in 2025 – as well as three chains that have faced some challenges in 2024 but appear poised to make a comeback in the year ahead. Which chains made the cut? Dive into the report to find out.
Through 2024, visits to Sprouts Farmers Market locations increased an average of 7.2% year-over-year (YoY) each month, outpacing the wider grocery segment standard by an average of six percentage points. And not only were visits up – monthly visits per location also grew YoY.
The promising coupling of overall and visits per location growth seems driven by the brands’ powerful understanding of who they are and what they bring to the market. The focus on high quality, fresh products is resonating, and the utilization of small- format locations is empowering the chain to bring locations to the doorstep of their ideal audiences.
This combination of forces positions the brand to better identify and reach key markets efficiently, offering an ideal path to continued growth. The result is a recipe for ongoing grocery success.
CAVA has emerged as a standout success story in the restaurant industry over the past several years. Traditionally, Mediterranean concepts have not commanded the same level of demand as burger, sandwich, Mexican, or Asian fast-casual concepts, which is why the category lacked a true national player until CAVA's rise. However, evolving consumer tastes have created a fertile landscape for Mediterranean cuisine to thrive, driven by factors such as social media influence, expanded food options via third-party delivery, growing demand for healthier choices, the rise of food-focused television programming, and the globalization of restaurant concepts .
CAVA’s success can be attributed to several key factors. Roughly 80% of CAVA locations were in suburban areas before the pandemic, aligning well with consumer migration and work-from-home trends. Additionally, CAVA was an early adopter of digital drive-thru lanes, similar to Chipotle’s "Chipotlanes," and began developing these store formats well before the pandemic. The brand has also utilized innovative tools like motion sensors in its restaurants to optimize throughput and staffing during peak lunchtime hours, enabling it to refine restaurant design and equipment placement as it expanded. CAVA’s higher employee retention rates have also contributed to its ability to maintain speed-of-service levels above category averages.
These strengths allowed CAVA to successfully enter new markets like Chicago in 2024. While many emerging brands have struggled to gain traction in new areas, CAVA’s visit-per-location metrics in recently entered markets have matched its national averages, positioning the brand for continued growth in 2025.
Ashley’s recent strategy shift to differentiate itself through experiential events, such as live music, workshops, and giveaways, is a compelling approach in the challenging consumer discretionary category. Post-pandemic, commercial property owners have successfully used community events to boost visit frequency, dwell time, and trade area size for mall properties. It’s no surprise that retailers like Ashley are adopting similar strategies to engage customers and enhance their in-store experience.
The decision to incorporate live events into its marketing strategy reflects the growing demand for experiential and immersive retail experiences. While home furnishings saw a surge in demand during the pandemic, the category has struggled over the past two years, underperforming other discretionary retail sectors compared to pre-pandemic levels. Recognizing this challenge, Ashley’s rebrand focuses on creating interactive and memorable experiences that allow customers to engage directly with its products and explore various design possibilities. In turn, this has helped to drive visits from trade areas with younger consumers with lower household incomes.
Ashley has leaned into collaborations with interior designers and industry experts to offer informative sessions and workshops during these events. These initiatives not only attract traffic but also provide valuable insights into customers’ preferences, which can be used to refine product offerings, enhance customer service, and shape future marketing efforts. This approach is particularly relevant as millennials and Gen Z drive new household formation. While still early, Ashley’s pivot to live events is showing promising results in attracting visits and increasing customer engagement.
Department stores have had many challenges in navigating changing consumer behavior and finding their place in an evolving retail landscape. Nordstrom, an example of department store success in 2024, has been able to maintain a strong brand relationship with its shoppers and regain its footing with its store fleet. While the chain has certainly benefited from catering to a more affluent, and less price sensitive, consumer base, it still shines in fostering a shopping experience that stands out.
Value might be a driver of retail visitation across the industry, but for Nordstrom, service and experience is paramount. The retailer has downplayed promotional activity in favor of driving loyalty among key visitors. Nordstrom also has captured higher shares of high-value, younger consumer segments, which defies commonly held thoughts about department stores. The chain was a top visited chain during Black Friday in 2024, showcasing that it’s top of mind for shoppers for both gift giving and self-gifting.
What’s next? Nordstrom announced at the end of December that it plans to go private with the help of Mexican retail chain Liverpool. We expect to see even more innovation in store experience, assortments and services with this newfound flexibility and investment. And, we cannot forget about Nordstrom Rack, which allows the retailer to still engage price-conscious shoppers of all income levels, which is certainly still a bright spot as we head into 2025.
Visits are up, and the audience visiting Sam’s Club locations seems to be getting younger which – when taken together – tells us a few critical things. First, Sam’s Club has parlayed its pandemic resurgence into something longer term, leveraging the value and experience it provides to create loyal customers. Second, the power of its offering is attracting a newer audience that had previously been less apt to take advantage of the unique Sam’s Club benefits.
The result is a retailer that is proving particularly adept at understanding the value of a visit. The membership club model incentives loyalty which means that once a visitor takes the plunge, the likelihood of more visits is heightened significantly. And the orientation to value, a longer visit duration, and a wide array of items on sale leads to a larger than normal basket size.
In a retail segment where the value of loyalty and owning ‘share of shopping list’ is at a premium, Sam’s Club is positioned for the type of success that builds a foundation for strength for years to come.
Raising Cane’s exemplifies the power of focus by excelling at a simple menu done exceptionally well. Over the past several years, the chain has been one of the fastest-growing in the QSR segment, driven by a streamlined menu that enhances speed and efficiency, innovative marketing campaigns, and strategic site selection in both new and existing markets. Notably, Raising Cane’s ranked among the top QSR chains for visit-per-location growth last year. Unlike many competitors that leaned on deep discounts or nostalgic product launches to boost traffic in 2024, Raising Cane’s relied on operational excellence to build brand awareness and drive visits. This approach has translated into some of the highest average unit sales in the segment, with restaurants averaging around $6 million in sales last year.
Raising Cane’s operational efficiency has also been a key driver of its rapid expansion, growing from 460 locations at the end of 2019 to more than 830 heading into 2025. This includes over 100 new store openings in 2024 alone, placing it among the top QSR chains for year-over-year visit growth. The chain’s ability to maintain exceptional performance while scaling rapidly highlights its strong foundation and operational strategy.
While Life Time has fitness at its core, it has also expanded to become a lifestyle. Healthy living is its mantra and this extends to both the gym aspect, but also the social health of its members with offerings like yoga, childcare, personalized fitness programs, coworking, and even an option for luxury living just steps away.
With all these choices, it’s no wonder that its members are more loyal than others in its peer group.
To the delight of book lovers everywhere, Barnes & Noble is back in force. With a presence in every single state and approximately 600 stores, location options are growing to browse bestsellers, chat with in-store bibliophiles, or grab a latte. Stores are feeling cozier and more local, with handwritten recommendations across the store. The chain’s extensive selection of gifts and toys mean that one can stop in for more than just books. The membership program is also relaunching, rewarding members for their purchases. Even though some locations have downsized, efficiency is up with average visits per square foot increasing over the last 3 years. Customers are also lingering, with nearly 3 in 10 visitors staying 45 minutes or longer.
With options for a “third place” that’s not home or work dwindling, Barnes & Noble is poised to fill that hole.
From its origins as a corner grocery store in Queens, NY 42 years ago, H Mart now boasts over 80 stores throughout the US. Shoppers are enticed by the aroma of hot roasted sweet potatoes wafting through the store, the opportunities to try new brands like Little Jasmine fruit teas, and the array of prepared foods such as gimbap and japchae. In addition to traditional Korean, Chinese, and Japanese groceries, H Mart’s assortment has expanded to staple items and American brands as well like Chobani yogurt or Doritos.
As the Hallyu wave sweeps across the nation and K-pop stars like Rose top the charts for the eight straight week with the catchy “APT”, so too is the appetite for Asian food. At the second-most visited H Mart in the nation in Carrollton, TX, the ethnic makeup of customers is 39% White, 14% Black, 23% Hispanic or Latino, and 20% Asian – reflecting the truly universal appeal of this supermarket chain.
Beauty retail had a transformative 2024, with a general cooling off in demand for the category. Competition between chains has increased and delivering quality products, expertise and services is critical to maintain visits. Against this backdrop, Bluemercury stands out as a shining star in parent company Macy’s portfolio of brands, with the brand well positioned to take on this next chapter of beauty retail.
Bluemercury’s success lies in its ability to be a retailer, an expert, and a spa service provider to its consumers. Placer data has shown that beauty chains with a service and retail component tend to attract more visitors than those who just specialize in retail offerings, and Bluemercury is no exception. The chain also focuses solely on the prestige market within the beauty industry and caters to higher income households compared to the broader beauty category; both of those factors have contributed to more elastic demand than with other retailers.
Bluemercury’s bet on product expertise and knowledge combined with a smaller format store help to foster a strong connection between the beauty retailer and its consumers. The brand overindexes with visitors “seeking youthful appearance” and has cemented itself as a destination for niche and emerging beauty brands. As the larger Macy’s brand grapples with its transformation, Bluemercury’s relevance and deep connection to its consumer base can serve as an inspiration, especially as the beauty industry faces mounting uncertainty.
Competitors like Dutch Bros and 7Brew are on the rise, critical office visitation patterns remain far behind pre-pandemic levels, and the chain did not end the year in the most amazing way in terms of visit performance. But there is still so much to love about Starbucks – and the addition of new CEO Brian Niccol positions the coffee giant to rebound powerfully.
The focused attention on leaning into its legendary ‘third place’ concept is in excellent alignment with the shift to the suburbs and hybrid work and with audiences that continue to show they value experience over convenience. But the convenience-oriented customer will likely also benefit from the brand’s recent initiatives, including pushes to improve staffing, mobile ordering alignment and menu simplification. In addition, the brand is still the gold standard when it comes to owning the calendar, as seen with their annual visit surges for the release of the Pumpkin Spice Latte or Red Cup Day and their ability to capitalize on wider retail holidays like Black Friday and Super Saturday.
The combination of the tremendous reach, brand equity, remaining opportunities in growing markets and the combined ability to address both convenience and experience oriented customers speaks to a unique capacity to regain lost ground and drive a significant resurgence against the expectations of many.
Retail has had its challenges this year, with many consumers opting for off-price to snag deals – but the strength of the Adidas brand should not be underestimated. Gazelles and Sambas are still highly coveted, and a partnership with Messi x Bad Bunny racked up over a million likes. Consumers are favoring classic silhouettes across both shoes and clothing, and nothing says classic like those three stripes.
Gap, and its family of brands including Old Navy and Banana Republic, are synonymous with American apparel retail. The namesake brand has always been at the center of comfort, value and style, but over time lost its way with consumers. However, over the past year and a half, the reinvigoration of the Gap family of brands has started to take shape under the direction of CEO Richard Dickson.
New designs, collaborations, splashy marketing campaigns and store layouts have taken shape across the portfolio. While we haven’t seen a lot of change in visitation to stores over the past year, trends are certainly moving in the right direction and outpacing many other brands in the apparel space. Gap has also reinserted itself into the fabric of American fashion this past year with designs for the Met Gala.
The benefit of Gap Inc.’s portfolio is that each brand has a distinct and unique audience of consumers that it draws from. This allows each brand to focus on meeting the needs of its visitors directly instead of trying to be all things for a broader group of consumers. Old Navy in particular has a strong opportunity with consumers as value continues to be a key motivator.
Gap has done all of the right things to not only catch up to consumers’ expectations but to rise beyond them. Even as legacy store-based retail brands have seen more disruption over the past few years, Gap is ready to step back into the spotlight.
The diversity of brands featured in this report highlight the variety of categories and strategic initiatives that can drive retail and dining success in 2025.
Sprouts’ focus on quality products and small-format stores, CAVA’s rise as a suburban dining powerhouse, and Nordstrom’s commitment to customer experience all highlight how understanding and responding to consumer needs can drive success. Brands like Ashley Furniture, Sam’s Club, H Mart, and Life Time have shown how offering a unique value proposition within a crowded segment, leveraging loyalty, and creating memorable experiences can fuel growth. And Raising Cane’s demonstrates the power of simplicity and operational efficiency in building momentum.
At the same time, niche players like Bluemercury are excelling by catering to specific audiences with authenticity and expertise. And while Starbucks, Adidas, and Gap Inc. face challenges, the three companies’ brand equity and revitalization efforts suggest potential for a significant comeback.
The holiday shopping season traditionally stretches from Black Friday to New Years Eve: Shoppers looking to snag deals, purchase gifts, or enhance their celebrations drive visit spikes at retailers across the country. And although many consumers expressed concern over high prices impacting their holiday budget, spending in 2024 actually increased compared to 2023, with brick-and-mortar stores playing a key role in last year’s holiday season.
So where were the largest holiday spikes? How did last year’s calendar configuration impact retail traffic? Which segment came out ahead – and how did dining fit into the mix? Most importantly – what can we learn from the 2024 holiday season to prepare for 2025?
The holiday shopping season is the busiest time of the year for many retail categories. Between Black Friday and December 31st 2024, daily visits to brick-and-mortar stores increased 12.7%, on average, compared to the rest of the year.
Department stores led the pack, with visits to the segment 102.1% higher than the pre-holiday season average – likely aided by strong Black Friday performances. Other favorite gifting categories, including beauty & self care (72.7%), hobbies, gifts & crafts (60.9%), recreational & sporting goods (55.5%), clothing (41.8%), and electronics stores (32.7%) also received significant traffic boosts. Shopping centers benefited as well with a 24.8% increase in daily visits over the holiday season. Retailers in these segments can capitalize on their holiday popularity and stand out amidst the crowd by promoting their brand early and ensuring their staffing and inventory can accommodate the season’s traffic increases.
The holidays are also a time for entertainment – and purchasing gifts for hosts – which likely helped drive the 48.4% and 41.7% traffic increases at liquor stores and at furniture & home furnishings retailers, respectively. Superstores and discount & dollar stores – with their selection of affordable giftable products and entertainment essentials – also saw holiday-driven visit bumps of 21.2% and 20.2%, respectively. Retailers may choose to highlight seasonal items and hosting-friendly products to increase these traffic bumps in 2025.
Pet stores & services received a smaller (10.0%) bump than the wider retail average – indicating that, although some shoppers buy gifts for their fur babies, pets may not be at the top of most Americans’ gift lists. And visits to the home improvement segment were essentially on par with the pre-holiday period – indicating that the holidays are not the time for extensive home renovation projects. But home improvement chains looking to get in on the holiday action might consider promoting decorations and smaller giftable items in December.
And despite the grocery frenzy of Turkey Wednesday and Christmas Eve Eve, the Grocery segment received a relatively minor holiday boost of 5.0% – perhaps due to holiday travelers skipping their weekly grocery haul. Grocers who lean into prepared foods or pre-packaged meal kits might get an additional bump.
Although the holidays drive retail visit surges across the country, some regions see a bigger traffic bump than others.
In December 2024, almost all 50 states (with the exception of Wyoming ) received a holiday-driven retail traffic boost ranging from a 3.3% (Montana) to a 16.8% (New Hampshire). On a regional basis, the South received the largest increase: The West South Central, East South Central, and South Atlantic divisions received a collective 12.2% increase in daily visits between Black Friday and New Years Eve compared to the pre-Black Friday daily average. (Washington, D.C. saw a slight visit decline of 0.4%, likely due to the many residents leaving the capital for the holiday break.) Retailers in this region may choose to increase staffing and inventory ahead of the 2025 holiday season to handle the increased demand.
Meanwhile, the Midwest region had the smallest holiday-driven traffic spike (9.2%) – despite starting the season ahead of the pack, with the highest Black Friday weekend visit boost. This suggests that Midwestern retailers may have more success with early promotions than with last-minute discounts.
While the holiday season drove an overall retail visit boost nationwide, diving deeper into the data reveals that different retail segments peak at different points of the holiday season.
Most categories – especially the ones that tend to offer steep post-Thanksgiving discounts, such as recreational & sporting goods, department stores, electronics stores, and beauty retailers – received the biggest visit spikes on Black Friday. Retailers in these categories may benefit from promotional campaigns ahead of Thanksgiving to cater to early shoppers and maximize their performance on their busiest day.
Other segments that carry more affordable gifts, stocking stuffers, and food items gained momentum as Christmas approached – with superstores visits spiking on December 23rd and discount & dollar stores peaking on December 24th. These retailers may get even larger end-of-year visit bumps by offering discounts and bundles to last-minute shoppers.
The grocery segment received its largest boost ahead of Thanksgiving, with visits also surging on the days before Christmas as home cooks picked up supplies for the holiday dinner. Grocers who can save their shoppers time during this busy period by offering curbside pickup, pre-prepped ingredients or meal kits, and other conveniences may see particularly strong performances in 2025.
Calendar shifts also play an important role in shaping holiday shopping patterns. Last year, Super Saturday and “Christmas Eve Eve” – each a significant milestone in its own right – coincided on December 23rd, 2023 to create a supercharged shopping event that generated massive visit spikes at retailers across categories.
But in 2024, when the milestones occurred separately, important differences emerged between retailers. Gift-shopping destinations like Macy’s, Nordstrom, and Best Buy saw bigger visit spikes on Super Saturday, while retailers like Target, Walmart, and Costco – carrying both gifts and food items – saw visits surge higher on December 23rd. Dollar Tree, a prime destination for affordable stocking stuffers, also experienced a more pronounced visit spike on Super Saturday.
Predictably, this year’s pre-Christmas milestones generally drove smaller individual visit spikes, as shoppers spread their errands across a longer period. But the stand-alone Super Saturday on December 21st 2024 also allowed consumers to prioritize gift-shopping on Saturday and shop for groceries and last minute stocking stuffers on December 23rd – benefiting certain retailers.
Nordstrom, for instance, saw visits soar to 215.9% above the chain’s 2024 daily average on December 21, 2024 – surpassing the 196.2% increase recorded on December 23, 2023. Macy’s also experienced a slightly higher Super Saturday visit boost this year. Next year, retailers can expect another spread-out pre-Christmas shopping period, with Super Saturday falling on December 20th, 2025 – five days before the holiday. Gift-focused retailers can leverage this timing by ramping up promotions in the run-up to Super Saturday – or by enhancing offerings on December 23rd to capture more late-season shoppers.
Big box retailers like Target, Walmart, and Costco, conversely, can double down on December 23rd or amplify earlier deals to capture a larger share of Super Saturday traffic. And retailers across categories can benefit from the more extended last-minute shopping period by implementing multi-day sales and promotions that encourage repeat visits and drive traffic throughout the week.
Turkey Wednesday – the day before Thanksgiving – is traditionally the grocery sector’s time to shine. And this year didn’t disappoint: On November 27th, 2024, visits to traditional grocery mainstays like Kroger, Safeway, and H-E-B shot up by a remarkable 66.9% to 79.2% compared to the 2024 daily average. And on December 23rd, foot traffic to the chains rose once again, though somewhat more moderately, as shoppers geared up for Christmas celebrations.
But the holiday season stock-up, it turns out, is about more than just food. Whether to help smooth out the rough edges of family interactions or to take celebrations to the next level, consumers also make pre-holiday runs to liquor stores. On Turkey Wednesday, leading spirit purveyors outperformed traditional grocery stores with epic 140.1% to 236.5% visit spikes. And the day before Christmas Eve was an even bigger milestone for the segment, with foot traffic skyrocketing by a staggering 153.6% to 283.8% above daily averages.
Ethnic supermarkets – chains like El Super and Vallarta Supermarket – also thrived on these traditional pre-holiday grocery store milestones. But like liquor stores, they saw bigger visit spikes on December 23rd, as customers likely sought out ingredients for their festive holiday dinners.
Grocery stores seeking to maximize the power of these pre-holiday milestones in 2025 could enhance their liquor selections and launch targeted promotions in the lead-up to both Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Dining venues are also impacted by the rhythms of the holiday season – but each segment within the dining industry follows its own unique seasonal trajectory.
Visits to the fast-casual, coffee, and fine-dining segments increased the week before Thanksgiving, with fast-casual and coffee visits peaking on Wednesday and fine-dining peaking on Thanksgiving day. Both coffee and fine-dining chains also received a small traffic bump on Black Friday, with coffee traffic likely aided by consumers looking to refuel during their shopping.
But beginning in mid-December, the fine-dining category pulled ahead of the other dining segments, picking up steam as the month wore on before peaking on December 23rd and 24th. And while traffic predictably declined on Christmas Day, the drop was less pronounced than for the other analyzed segments. Fine dining then resumed its strong showing on December 26th, maintaining elevated visits through the following days, potentially reflecting its appeal as a festive holiday dining destination for families.
Coffee chains and fast-casual restaurants also enjoyed moderately elevated December traffic, with smaller visit spikes on December 23rd. Traffic to both segments then slowed during the holiday – though coffee chains continued to see higher-than-average foot traffic on Christmas Eve – before tapering off as the month drew to a close.
Looking ahead to 2025, each dining segment can take steps to maximize its holiday impact. Fine dining chains can attract more special-occasion celebrants with unique holiday-themed menu items – paired with targeted promotions that make its premium offerings more accessible to families. Meanwhile, fast-casual and coffee chains can capitalize on high-traffic days like December 23rd by catering to the needs of busy holiday shoppers – extending operating hours and offering streamlined ordering and pickup options.
The 2024 holiday season proved strong for most retail categories, with each retail category displaying a different holiday visit pattern. This year’s calendar layout also presented a unique advantage, with a longer stretch between Super Saturday and Christmas compared to last year.
By analyzing 2024 holiday regional visit trends, understanding the role that each year’s specific calendar configuration plays in shaping consumer behavior, and identifying the unique retail milestones for each chain and category, retail and dining stakeholders can refine their strategies and make the most of the 2025 holiday season.
