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After a strong spring for mall traffic, momentum slowed over the summer. As the chart below shows, visits in June declined year-over-year across all three formats, while July and August traffic leveled off.
Yet, even in this softer environment, indoor malls stood out as the only format to register growth – albeit modest – in both July and August. At the same time, outlet malls managed to close their YoY visit gap, likely buoyed by families looking to save on back-to-school shopping. This trend also points to the potential for a rebound in the format, as consumers’ growing focus on value continues to shape shopping behaviors in new ways.
A softer Labor Day capped off the slower summer, with slight dips in visits across all three mall formats compared to Labor Day weekend 2024 (though indoor malls continued to lead with the smallest YoY visit gap). Outlet malls saw the biggest drop, which combined with their flat August performance, suggests that shoppers frequented outlets earlier in the month rather than holding off for Labor Day promotions.
Taken together, these trends indicate that the summer slowdown was not simply the result of consumers holding back for holiday sales. Instead, with sentiment weakening, shoppers appear to be reducing discretionary purchases that typically drive mall traffic, or looking for better value on a routine basis rather than waiting for special sales.
The decline in average mall visit length offers another indicator of softening consumer sentiment and a cutting back on discretionary purchases. Visit length plummeted over the pandemic as consumers tried to limit their time spent in enclosed spaces, but the average visit duration to malls rose in 2023 and again in 2024 – suggesting that malls were slowly regaining their role as destinations for leisure, dining, and extended shopping trips.
The drop in August 2025, however, signals a reversal of that momentum, perhaps reflecting heightened consumer caution and a renewed focus on efficiency and essentials over browsing and discretionary spending.
Malls’ strong visitation trends just a few months ago caution against drawing overly dire conclusions, and the softer summer may represent a temporary reset rather than a lasting shift. Seasonal headwinds, travel, and consumer caution likely weighed on recent performance, while the steady resilience of indoor malls points to enduring shopper demand for in-person experiences. Outlet malls' success in closing their visit gap also adds reason for optimism.
The upcoming holiday season offers malls a chance to regain momentum and recapture consumer attention. While recent trends highlight caution and shorter visit durations, they also underscore consumers’ growing appetite for value and convenience – dynamics that indoor and outlet malls are uniquely positioned to meet. By pairing value-driven promotions with engaging experiences and festive activations, malls can reassert their role as destinations not just for shopping, but for leisure and community during the holidays. This combination positions shopping centers to benefit from seasonal demand, even as consumers remain more selective with discretionary spending.
For more data-driven consumer insights, visit placer.ai/anchor
Placer.ai leverages a panel of tens of millions of devices and utilizes machine learning to make estimations for visits to locations across the US. The data is trusted by thousands of industry leaders who leverage Placer.ai for insights into foot traffic, demographic breakdowns, retail sale predictions, migration trends, site selection, and more
After a period of robust growth following COVID, the eatertainment sector has slowed. Rising prices and economic uncertainty have led many consumers to tighten their budgets, cutting back on discretionary activities. But Q2 2025 data points to an emerging trend that could reshape the industry's trajectory: unlimited-play subscription models that drive repeat visits to major chains.
Eatertainment’s leading brands have followed very different trajectories since 2019. Topgolf and Dave & Buster’s expanded significantly after COVID, driving overall visits above 2019 levels and outperforming the broader full-service restaurant (FSR) segment. By Q2 2025, Topgolf’s systemwide foot traffic was up 59.2% compared to the same period in 2019, while Dave & Buster’s overall visits rose 7.1%. However, both chains began to slow at the unit level in 2022 as inflation weighed on household budgets.
Chuck E. Cheese, meanwhile, shuttered dozens of locations after its 2020 bankruptcy. But in mid-2024, the brand’s systemwide and per-location visits began rebounding significantly, surpassing even the broader FSR segment by Q1 2025.
Chuck E. Cheese’s resurgence can be traced to a revamped Summer Fun Pass program launched in the summer of 2024. By offering unlimited play, the company drove a dramatic increase in repeat visits – and the model proved so successful that the company extended it year-round, fueling sustained visit growth that continued into 2025.
Between March and May 2025, per-location visits to Chuck E. Cheese surged 17.6% to 23.0% year over year (YoY), before stabilizing in June and July as the chain began lapping its extraordinary 2024 performance. Importantly, this plateau doesn’t indicate decline – instead, it highlights Chuck E. Cheese’s ability to maintain traffic levels that seemed unimaginable just two years ago.
Chuck E. Cheese’s loyalty surge also shows no signs of abating. In June 2024 12.0% of visitors came in at least twice during the month – up from 7.2% to 8.0% the previous summer. And although repeat visitation dipped somewhat when school resumed in the fall, it remained elevated YoY and rebounded again this summer.
Topgolf has long relied on expansion to drive growth. But even as overall foot traffic has continued surging past pre-COVID benchmarks, visits per location began declining in 2022.
Recent data, however, suggests this dynamic is shifting. Since May, the chain has posted high single-digit per-location YoY growth – a clear indicator of unit-level recovery. And though same-venue sales still fell 6.0% last quarter, the company raised its guidance, signaling an improved outlook.
Here too, loyalty metrics point to the central role of Topgolf’s revived Summer Fun Pass in reigniting traffic by offering value-conscious consumers more affordable access to its premium experience. Though the gains are smaller than those seen by Chuck E. Cheese’s, they still mark a meaningful step in Topgolf’s recovery.
Dave & Buster’s flagship chain continues to lag peers on YoY visitation, with Q2 2025 traffic below 2024 levels. Still, visit data for May to July 2025 points to an improving trend, aligning with the company’s recent report of better comp sales in June.
Once again, progress appears tied to a new subscription model – Dave & Buster’s first-ever Summer Season Pass. Priced similarly to last year’s new Winter Pass, but timed to coincide with school and college vacations, the summer program significantly boosted repeat visits and strengthened customer engagement. And although per-location traffic at Dave & Buster’s remains a challenge, the brand’s growing loyalty base and expanding footprint give it a foundation for steady, sustainable growth.
Much like gym memberships, affordable flat fees for gameplay at eatertainment venues allow budget-conscious consumers to stretch their dollars by visiting more often. And these subscription-based models appear to be resonating with consumers in 2025.
But the model comes with its own challenges. For Chuck E. Cheese, Topgolf, and Dave & Buster’s, the key test will be turning higher visitation into greater spend. Converting traffic gains into food, beverage, and event revenue – without eroding margins – will ultimately determine whether subscription-driven loyalty can deliver sustainable long-term growth.
For more data-driven consumer insights, visit placer.ai/anchor.
Starbucks launched its latest fall menu on August 26th, 2025, which included the fan-favorite Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL). How did the return of the anticipated beverage impact visits this year? We dove into the data to find out.
The fall menu launch and PSL return drove significant visit spikes to Starbucks, as shown in the chart below. And traffic on this year's PSL launch was nearly identical to 2024 levels – highlighting the remarkable consistency of the seasonal offering that has now become a cultural staple. The ability of the PSL to drive traffic at scale – even after two decades – underscores its unique role in Starbucks' playbook.
While the PSL's appeal is coast-to-coast, enthusiasm varies geographically.
The map below plots the increase in Starbucks visits on the launch of the fall menu compared to each state's pre-fall menu launch daily average. The Mountain region emerged as this year's PSL epicenter: Utah led the nation with a traffic surge of over 40% above its daily average, with neighboring states like Colorado, Idaho, and Nevada also showing exceptional gains. The Midwest and Appalachia, including West Virginia and Kentucky, followed with their own impressive double-digit increases.
By contrast, increases were more muted in the Northeast and Southeast, with single-digit visit growth in Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Together, these patterns reveal both the universal draw of Starbucks’ seasonal offerings and the regional nuances that shape consumer response.
While competitors like Dunkin' and Dutch Bros. also leverage seasonal menus to attract customers, their launch-day boosts don't match the scale of the PSL phenomenon, as shown in the chart below. Starbucks has successfully transformed a menu update into a highly anticipated cultural moment that competitors struggle to replicate.
This data suggests that Starbucks' fall launch doesn't just boost its own traffic – it sets the benchmark for the entire industry. The brand’s ability to blend product innovation with cultural relevance reinforces its position as the undisputed leader in the seasonal beverage market.
The data from the 2025 fall menu launch suggests that the Pumpkin Spice Latte is far more than a seasonal beverage; it is one of Starbucks' most reliable and defensible strategic assets. The popular LTO provides a predictable traffic and revenue anchor, transforming the fall menu and the PSL at its center into a reliable financial instrument that widens the company's competitive advantage.
Ultimately, the enduring success of the PSL highlights Starbucks' mastery in transforming a product into a cultural tradition, proving that the most powerful driver of consumer behavior isn't just the product itself, but the anticipation and ritual built around it.
For more data-driven insights, visit placer.ai/anchor
Secondhand shopping has emerged as a major storyline this season amid potential tariff-driven apparel price hikes – but foot traffic data shows that thrifting's move into the mainstream has been years in the making. We dove into the data to assess the state of the thrift store segment in 2025 and explore what’s driving its continued momentum.
Thrift store foot traffic has been on an impressive upward trajectory since COVID. In Q2 2025, visits were up 39.5% compared to Q2 2019 – far exceeding the 9.5% growth seen across the broader clothing industry.
This visit growth advantage reflects a mix of factors, including heightened economic pressures and sustainability concerns. In addition, while much apparel shopping has shifted online – and digital resale platforms like ThredUp are gaining traction – thrifting remains inherently experiential and in-person.
Thrifting’s unique seasonality also highlights its important role in the consumer shopping cycle. As the chart below illustrates, conventional apparel peaks during the holiday shopping season (Q4) while thrift stores hit their stride in summer (Q3) – likely buoyed by warm-weather wardrobe refreshes and back-to-school shopping.
A closer look at year-over-year (YoY) trends show industry-wide thrift store visit increases outpacing per-location gains, suggesting that the segment’s growth is partly driven by store openings. Yet established locations are thriving too, with average visits per location continuing to rise even against last year’s strong benchmarks.
This dual pattern – new stores bringing in additional shoppers while established locations continue to grow – shows that thrifting’s momentum reflects true market expansion rather than merely a redistribution of demand.
Demographic data also points to thrifting’s ongoing move into the mainstream. The median household income of areas feeding visits to thrift stores has risen steadily since 2019, signaling a significant broadening of these stores' customer base beyond their traditional lower-income demographic.
Geographically, thrift shopping has also expanded beyond its urban roots. The share of visits from rural, semi-rural, and suburban communities has climbed consistently over the past six years, making secondhand shopping a fixture of consumer culture across regions and income levels.
With potential tariffs threatening to raise the cost of imported clothing, continued economic pressures, and rising demand for sustainable alternatives, thrift stores appear poised to thrive well into the future. Will secondhand visits climb to new highs this summer?
Follow Placer.ai/anchor to find out.
Whether it’s a family picnic, a romantic stroll, or a casual jog, local parks have long been woven into the fabric of American life. In recent years, however, when and how people use these green spaces has shifted in important ways.
Using Placer.ai’s index of 3,000 local parks (i.e., smaller parks within cities, towns, and suburbs and excluding national and state parks), we analyzed visitation patterns over the past year and compared them to pre-COVID baselines. The results reveal not only a steady rise in park traffic, but also meaningful changes in how Americans engage with these public spaces.
Visits to local parks have steadily increased since 2019 as shown in the graph below – reflecting a sustained post-pandemic shift toward outdoor activities.
But the data also shows an interesting seasonal shift. Unsurprisingly, park visits tend to peak in spring and summer (Q2 and Q3), and drop in winter. But whereas in 2019 and 2021, Q3 slightly outperformed Q2, this trend began to reverse in 2022 – and over the past three years, spring and early summer have consistently outpaced the July to September period. Additionally, while Q2 visits have grown year after year, Q3 visits began to decline in 2024 – and July 2025 data suggests the trend may be continuing.
The shift, though subtle, may be tied to extreme summer heat waves in recent years – but it remains to be seen if this pattern will hold long-term.
Beyond sheer numbers, how people use parks is also changing. Since 2019, the share of visits lasting under 30 minutes has dropped, while visits over 30 minutes have increased – pointing to more intentional, extended outings that may include picnics, sports, or social gatherings.
At the same time, the share of weekday and early-day visits have declined, while weekend and evening visits have grown. This suggests that park trips are increasingly seen as dedicated leisure activities – part of people’s weekend plans rather than casual, quick visits.
Meanwhile, analyzing parks' trade areas indicates a subtle but significant shift in the demographic profiles of park-goers.
In both 2018/9 and 2024/5, park visitors tended to come from relatively affluent areas, with median household incomes (HHIs) above the nationwide average of $79.6K. But the analyzed period saw a modest but significant decline in the median HHI of parks’ trade areas. indicating a broadening of the audience making use of these spaces.
This shift was accompanied by an increase in the participation of families with children – further evidence of the emergence of local parks as communal, family-oriented spaces.
The growth in visitation along with the shifts in timing, duration, and demography carry important implications for local governments and park planners – and understanding these trends can help cities serve their communities and allocate relevant resources more effectively.
For example, with weekend visitation on the rise, cities could plan more park events on Saturdays and Sundays to maximize attendance and community engagement. In addition, more weekend visitors may require expanded parking, public transport options, or bike access to accommodate higher demand.
The growth in later and longer park visits may also suggest a greater need for improved evening amenities, such as better lighting for safety and extended hours for public facilities. Longer visits could also mean higher demand for seating, shaded areas, restrooms, and refreshment vendors. And more families with children could drive demand for enhanced playground equipment, family-friendly programming, and child safety features.
By aligning park services with these evolving patterns, local governments can better serve residents, attract more visitors, and make the most of the growing enthusiasm for outdoor public spaces.
For more up-to-date insights into population movement and civic trends, explore our free migration tool.
Las Vegas has long been a tourism mecca, attracting domestic and international travelers eager to partake of the city’s iconic offerings. However, as economic uncertainty weighs heavily on many would-be vacationers' minds, visits to the city have slowed. We examined H1 2025 data for the city and its legendary Las Vegas Strip (just outside the city limits) to see how domestic tourism slowdowns are impacting the city.
Las Vegas, with its iconic vistas, casinos, entertainment options, and convention centers, has long been a favorite domestic tourism destination. But travel patterns have slowed nationwide, and the downturn hasn’t spared the Entertainment Capital of the World. Foot traffic data for out-of-market domestic visitors to Vegas – defined here as those coming from at least 50 miles away – shows a notable decline in tourist visits to the city.
Visits to the city of Las Vegas have dropped consistently since the pandemic, hitting a low in Q1 2025 when out-of-market traffic fell 4.0% YoY. The Las Vegas Strip, which hosts most of the area’s marquee attractions and drives substantial revenue, fared even worse with a 10.6% YoY decline in Q1.
Still, visits to both the city and the Strip picked up somewhat in Las Vegas’ traditionally stronger Q2, a positive sign for the city and perhaps an indication of better things to come.
Economic uncertainties are likely one of the main reasons for the slowing visits to Las Vegas. And analyzing median household income (HHI) data for the areas supplying out-of-market visitors to the city highlights the economic pressures at play.
In Q2 2019, both the city of Las Vegas and the Strip drew visitors from areas with median HHIs of about $83.0K, with only a slight gap in favor of the Strip. But since then, median HHI trends have shifted, with Las Vegas seeing a subtle but steady rise in median HHI to $88.8K, and the Strip seeing a much more substantial increase to $99.4K.
The steeper climb in median HHI for the Strip’s visits, coupled with its larger visit gaps, suggests that as prices for tourist attractions climb, more budget-conscious visitors may be opting to explore beyond the Strip. Hotel and casino operators, seeing spending on leisure activities soften, are now offering steep discounts to attract additional travel. For local stakeholders, this poses both opportunities and potential downsides: While higher-income visitors may spend more, opening up ample opportunities for operators and retailers, middle-income-focused properties and storefronts face mounting risks. Developing “on-ramps” for value-conscious travelers will be critical to maintaining wide-ranging appeal and driving continued tourism growth.
The shifting profile of visitors presents Las Vegas with both challenges and opportunities. City leaders and industry stakeholders must juggle catering to a more affluent crowd while remaining accessible to budget-minded travelers. Ultimately, the city’s resilience will hinge on a balanced approach – welcoming high-rollers while ensuring that Las Vegas remains a destination for everyone.
Visit Placer.ai/anchor for the latest data-driven travel & leisure insights.
Across segments, retail and dining expansions converge on a common set of priorities, including identifying markets with strong demand, ensuring alignment with target audiences, and leveraging local consumer behavior to drive synergy. Using AI-powered location intelligence, we analyzed five expanding brands and segments to uncover the core principles driving successful site selection.
Nationwide visits to coffee chains are up in 2026, with established brands and newcomers alike seeing their traffic increase as consumer headwinds lead some to shift their discretionary spend towards more affordable indulgences. But past visit growth does not necessarily indicate future opportunity – it may instead signal market saturation. Relying solely on overall visit trends to guide expansion could lead chains into highly competitive markets where existing supply already meets demand.
For example, analyzing traffic trends in 10 major metro areas where coffee visits increased year-over-year (YoY) in Q1 2026 reveals significant gaps between overall traffic trends and per-location demand. In some CBSAs, overall traffic growth significantly outpaced per-location traffic trends – suggesting that supply is already meeting (or exceeding) demand and limiting room for new coffee locations despite overall category growth. But in other metro areas, where overall visit growth appears smaller, per-location traffic is actually booming – indicating that the underlying demand is resilient enough to support additional coffee concepts.
These patterns highlight the importance of looking beyond topline growth to identify where true whitespace still exists.
Effective site selection matches both regional and local demographics to a brand’s target customer, supporting performance and reinforcing positioning. But even in well-aligned metros, results depend on site-level precision – locations where the trade area visitor profile most closely reflects the brand’s core audience are best positioned to drive incremental upside.
An analysis of Alo locations in the DC area suggests that the company is adopting this strategy. Within the already high-income metro area of Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, individual Alo Yoga stores are placed in centers that draw even more affluent visitors – maximizing the revenue potential of each location.
In fact, Alo's newest stores in the metro area – One Loudoun and Bethesda Row – drive traffic from households with higher median incomes than even the established area locations. This signals a clear focus on premium retail corridors and affluent consumer segments, which reinforces the brand’s positioning while capturing higher-spending customers at the site level.
Beyond driving traffic potential and demographic alignment, site selection should also ensure that a brand’s identity and operating model are well matched to the visitation patterns of prospective locations. Barnes & Noble offers a clear example. The company’s ongoing resurgence has relied in part on repositioning itself as a local cultural and social hub, with a stronger emphasis on local curation and community-driven events.
And analyzing Barnes & Noble’s 2026 openings shows a clear tilt toward centers with a higher share of local traffic than the chain average – supporting its shift away from a purely transactional retail model toward a more community-centric experience built around local curation, events, and repeat visitation. By prioritizing locally driven centers, the company’s site selection strategy not only captures relevant traffic but also reinforces its broader repositioning as a neighborhood-oriented brand.
Effective site selection recognizes that proximity to competitors can function as a demand driver, amplifying traffic rather than diluting it.
In practice, this often takes the form of clustering – deliberately locating near similar or complementary concepts to capture shared demand. Shake Shack provides a clear example. Analyzing the chain's store fleet shows that many locations sit near other QSR and fast-casual concepts, creating opportunities to capture dining-based traffic. At the same time, strong cross-visitation patterns indicate that these co-located brands share a common customer base, positioning the brand closer to consumers who are already likely to visit. And, at least for Shake Shack, this strategy appears to be working – traffic to the chain increased 19.9% YoY in Q1 2026.
Incorporating trade area analysis into site selection can also help determine whether a new location will generate new traffic or risk cannibalizing existing demand. Aldi, a rapidly expanding grocery chain, offers a relevant example.
The company opened a fourth Las Vegas store on S Decatur Blvd in October 2025, positioned between existing locations on W Craig Rd and S Rainbow Blvd, approximately eight miles from each. And analyzing the core trade area of each of the four Las Vegas locations indicated limited visitor cannibalization over the last six months, despite the stores’ close proximity. Only 6.2% and 7.6% of the S Decatur Blvd store’s trade area overlapped with the W Craig Rd and S Rainbow Blvd stores’ trade areas, respectively.
These findings show that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to store spacing – it varies by brand, category, and market. Analyzing a company’s existing store network alongside competitor density and overall demand can help determine how closely locations can be placed without hurting performance. In many cases – especially in high-frequency categories like grocery – markets can support stores that are closer together than expected.
Physical retail is increasingly defined by a small group of dominant players – Walmart, Target, Costco Wholesale, and Dollar General – that span grocery, essentials, and discretionary categories at a scale no other retailers can match. These chains serve as bellwethers of consumer behavior, revealing where Americans are spending, how often they shop, and what drives their decisions. And understanding their visitation patterns sheds light on the key dynamics shaping both their performance and the broader blueprint for retail success in 2026.
Retail giants Walmart, Target, Costco Wholesale, and Dollar General continue to capture a growing share of brick-and-mortar visits nationwide.
• The share of physical retail traffic captured by these giants rose from 16.8% in 2019 to 17.5% in Q1 2026, signaling continued sector consolidation.
• The scale advantage enjoyed by retail giants is increasingly self-reinforcing: Larger players benefit from superior data, stronger vendor leverage, and operational efficiencies that in turn further widen the gap.
• As these advantages compound, direct competition becomes less viable. Instead, smaller retailers should focus on owning specific trip missions – such as convenience, fill-in, or discovery – where format, assortment curation, and in-store experience can more directly shape consumer choice.
• For CRE operators, the growing dominance of these retail giants increases reliance on top-tier anchors, potentially driving performance gaps between centers with strong national tenants and those without.
• For CPG companies, the consolidation in the offline retail space heightens channel concentration, making success with a handful of large retailers critical while increasing those retailers’ negotiating leverage.
Traffic trends across the four giants reveal meaningful divergence in performance.
• Costco and Dollar General are driving the strongest visit growth, supported by both substantial fleet expansions and rising visits per location. In 2025, visits per store exceeded pre-pandemic levels by 18.1% for Costco and 10.2% for Dollar General, with both brands also seeing steady increases in their share of total brick-and-mortar retail chain visits.
• Walmart remains the largest player by far, accounting for 9.7% of traffic to major brick-and-mortar chains in 2025. And though the behemoth’s share of visits declined slightly in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic, it has held steady over the past three years.
• Target’s visit share has remained relatively flat over the past three years, reflecting stalled momentum. Still, early 2026 trends point to emerging signs of recovery – with Q1 visits up 8.3% compared to Q1 2019.
• Value retail is winning, but in more specialized forms: Dollar General (extreme value + convenience) and Costco (bulk value + loyalty) are driving the strongest traffic growth and rising visits per store, while Walmart’s broad “everyday value” remains steady with slower growth. Target, for its part, is lagging – likely a reflection of the broader bifurcation in retail which has left middle-market players caught between consumers trading down to value and those trading up to quality.
• For retailers and CPG companies, the broader lesson is that value perception is becoming more nuanced. It’s no longer just about offering low prices at scale, but about how value is delivered – whether through small packs vs. bulk, or quick trips vs. stock-up missions. Success increasingly depends on prioritizing these distinct value formats and investing in channels where store-level productivity is improving.
• For CRE operators, the outperformance of retailers with clearly defined value propositions underscores the importance of mission-driven tenant mix. As shoppers visit with increasingly specific missions in mind, retailers that cater to those missions are outperforming. Tenant strategies should reflect this shift, ensuring complementary offerings that reinforce a cohesive shopping mission.
Walmart remains the dominant brick-and-mortar retailer nationwide and across all fifty states. Still, the data suggests there is room for multiple runners-up to succeed across geographies and customer segments.
• Dollar General, Target, and Costco each attract distinct audience segments. Dollar General attracts a disproportionately high share of the “Mature and Retired Living” segment, while Costco leads among family households, with Target also over-indexing with this group. Among younger “Contemporary Households,” meanwhile – a segment encompassing singles, married couples without children, and non-family households – Target commands the highest share, slightly over-indexing compared to the nationwide baseline.
• Regional strengths vary significantly, with Dollar General concentrated in the South, Costco dominant in the Northwest, and Target showing more dispersed areas of strength.
• Despite similar overall visit share, Dollar General leads in more states (26 vs. 17 for Target), reflecting broader geographic dominance.
• For retailers, the data suggests that growth opportunities are increasingly shaped by localized demographic and geographic dynamics – meaning that targeted, market-specific strategies may be more effective than uniform national approaches.
• Younger “Contemporary Households” remain less locked-in than older demographics, representing a key battleground for future growth.
• For CPG companies, this data highlights that channel strategy is really about building the right mix of retailers, since even large national players reach different types of consumers.
• CRE operators should ask "which anchor is right for this trade area" rather than "which anchor is strongest," as mismatched tenants can underperform even if they’re nationally dominant.
After remaining essentially flat in 2025, average visits per location to Walmart grew 3.5% YoY in Q1 2026. And the retailer’s solid Q1 performance across the U.S. underscores its unique ability to resonate across income levels, geographies, and shopping missions.
• Walmart posted year-over-year visit growth across nearly all U.S. markets in Q1 2026, reinforcing its role as a universally relevant retailer.
• The giant’s comparative softness in small parts of the Northeast suggests an opportunity to double down on region-specific assortments, urban-friendly formats, or partnerships to better match local shopping behaviors.
• Walmart’s broad-based growth shows that even as consumers are increasingly willing to visit multiple retailers to get what they want, its Superstore model has solidified its role as a primary stop on the American shopping journey – making it a uniquely reliable anchor for CRE operators.
• For smaller retailers, this underscores the opportunity to win the “second stop” – capturing trips through curated assortments and more tailored in-store experiences that Walmart’s scale is less optimized to deliver.
• For CPG companies, Walmart stands out as a highly attractive partner for broad, efficient reach, given its consistent traffic across markets.
Target’s recent performance suggests early momentum in reversing prior softness.
• Q1 2026 visits to Target rose 5.1% year over year, marking the chain’s first positive visit growth in more than a year, and suggesting that the chain’s new turnaround strategy may be bearing fruit.
• Gains were driven primarily by visits lasting 30 to 45 minutes, which accounted for 19.6% of overall visits to Target in Q1 2026 – pointing to stronger in-store engagement rather than quick, mission-driven stops.
• Target’s return to traffic growth – driven by increases in mid-length trips – signals a sustainable recovery on the horizon, strengthening its reliability as a traffic-driving tenant for CRE operators.
• Target's turnaround shows retailers how increasing shopper engagement can generate growth by converting quick trips into higher-value, multi-category experiences.
• For CPG companies, the rise in mid-length visits indicates a more receptive in-store environment for discovery and trade-up, making Target an increasingly attractive channel for innovation, merchandising, and premium offerings.
Dollar General is becoming embedded in consumers’ daily routines.
• Visitor frequency to Dollar General is on the rise. In Q1 2026, nearly a quarter of visitors frequented the chain at least four times in an average month, up from 21.2% in Q1 2022.
• Dollar General is becoming increasingly local in nature: As its footprint expands, more visits originate nearby, with 28.0% coming from within one mile – reinforcing its role as a neighborhood store of choice.
• Dollar General’s visitation patterns point to a growing ownership of the convenience mission. Its expanding store density is creating a self-reinforcing network effect, where proximity fuels frequency, and frequency strengthens long-term defensibility.
• For retailers, Dollar General’s rising share of nearby and high-frequency visits shows that proximity can drive habit, making convenience a powerful lever for building repeat behavior.
• For CRE operators, the data highlights the strength of hyper-local, necessity-driven traffic, positioning Dollar General as a stable tenant that anchors consistent, repeat visitation.
• For CPG professionals, the increase in frequent trips signals a high-velocity purchase environment, favoring smaller pack sizes and products that align with regular replenishment cycles.
Costco continues to grow and diversify its audience despite higher membership fees and stricter food court access policies, highlighting the strength of its value proposition and loyalty model.
• In September 2024, Costco raised its membership fees for the first time in seven years – and more recently tightened enforcement of member-only access to its food courts. Despite these changes, visitation has remained strong, highlighting the company’s pricing power and deep customer loyalty.
• At the same time, Costco’s shopper base is broadening, with median household income trending slightly downward while remaining relatively affluent.
• Offering strong value to a relatively affluent consumer base can be a winning formula in 2026. Retailers that combine quality, trust, and perceived savings – rather than competing solely on low prices – are well positioned to drive both loyalty and sustained traffic growth.
• For CRE operators, Costco’s sustained traffic growth and broadening shopper base reinforce its value as a standalone, high-demand traffic magnet that can anchor entire trade areas and drive surrounding retail development.
• For CPG companies, the combination of high traffic and declining median HHI signals that Costco is evolving into a scaled channel reaching beyond affluent shoppers, requiring more diversified assortment and pricing strategies.
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It’s been decades since the U.S. last hosted the World Cup, and anticipation continues to build. While the matches themselves will deliver thrilling moments for fans inside the stadium, a far broader audience is expected to engage from beyond the gates – gathering at bars, watch parties, and living rooms across the country.
Drawing on insights from recent sporting and cultural events, this analysis examines how the World Cup may impact consumer behavior and audiences across stadiums, host cities, and nationwide.
In 2025, MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ hosted a wide range of concerts and sporting events. And an examination of three – Kendrick Lamar & SZA’s tour stop, the FIFA Club World Cup Final, and a Week 17 New York Jets matchup against division rivals and the Super Bowl-bound New England Patriots – reveals clear differences in audience composition across event types.
Trade area analysis showed that the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Final drew the largest share of single visitors and the highest median household income (HHI) of the three events – a pattern that could reflect the premium tickets and travel typically associated with a quadrennial championship match.
With the 2026 World Cup elevating the level of global competition, stadiums set to host matches this summer – including MetLife – may see even more dramatic shifts in their audience relative to other events.
While spectators attending World Cup matches are likely to differ from those drawn to other events throughout the year, audience shifts are likely to occur also within the tournament itself. As the competition progresses and the stakes rise, the visitor profile at host stadiums may trend progressively higher-income, as suggested by an analysis of Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA during the recent NFL season and Super Bowl.
During the Super Bowl, the stadium’s captured market median HHI surpassed that of every 49ers home game during the 2025-26 season – a pattern consistent with the event’s premium ticket pricing, national draw, and high levels of out-of-market travel.
And since the World Cup only takes place every four years, and necessitates international travel for die-hard fans, attendees are likely to be even more affluent than Super Bowl go-ers. Moreover, as the tournament reaches its later stages, each match becomes more significant and carries the potential to drive an even more affluent in-person audience.
Diving deeper into last year’s FIFA Club World Cup Final and Semifinal matches at MetLife Stadium provides further insight into the significance of the in-person audience that doesn’t make it into the stands. While FIFA generally places restrictions on tailgating, the behavior was still observed at MetLife and several other tournament venues in 2025. To put the phenomenon into perspective, location intelligence indicates that on the day of the Club World Cup final, combined visits to MetLife and its parking lots were 24.8% higher than visits to the stadium alone.
AI-powered trade area analysis further contextualizes the economic significance of this audience. During the semifinal matches, MetLife Stadium’s captured market median HHI remained nearly identical – just over $100K – with and without parking lot visitors. A similar pattern held for the Final, where median HHI for both the stadium-only and combined stadium-plus-parking visitors both rose above $115K, with the stadium-only figure only marginally higher.
This suggests that tailgaters represent a significant cohort with discretionary income to spend on the broader match-day experience, even if they opt out of spending big money on tickets.
With tailgating during the 2026 World Cup likely to remain limited due to FIFA regulations, the spending power of fans just outside the stadiums could create opportunities for alternative forms of engagement. Fan zones and other nearby hospitality events may offer effective ways to capture demand.
Nearby dining and entertainment venues are among the most accessible experiences for fans in the stadium area, and these stand to benefit significantly from elevated game-day foot traffic.
Analysis of recent FIFA Club World Cup matches reveals the impact of match-day activity on local businesses. Visitor journey data from the June 25th, 2025 matchup between Inter Milan and River Plate at Seattle’s Lumen Field, and the June 28th, 2025 meeting between Palmeiras and Botafogo at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia reveals that a significant share of stadium visitors also stopped at nearby dining and recreation venues on the day. Location intelligence also shows that, on the day of the match, each stadium-adjacent venue received a significant visit boost compared to its 2025 daily average.
This pattern underscores the potential impact of the World Cup on the surrounding commercial ecosystem. The stadium may anchor the experience, but fan engagement will likely spill into adjacent areas – creating opportunities for both organizers and local businesses. To take full advantage, restaurants and bars can position themselves as fan-friendly destinations through watch parties, extended hours, and even mobile or outdoor offerings in stadium corridors.
Previous major sporting events – including the Super Bowl – demonstrate that the impact of large-scale sporting moments often extends beyond the immediate stadium vicinity into the broader regional economy.
In the weeks leading up to the latest Super Bowl in Santa Clara, CA on February 8th, 2026, both the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkley and San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CBSAs saw a notable uptick in year-over-year dining traffic – outperforming the nationwide average. The timing suggests that early-arriving travellers combined with locals enjoying pre-event concerts and events helped fuel demand. In contrast, nationwide dining traffic saw a more pronounced lift the following week – likely tied to Valentine’s Day on February 14.
This pattern indicates that regions hosting – or located near – World Cup 2026 matches could experience similar pre-event dining tailwinds. As out-of-town visitors arrive and local engagement builds in the days and weeks leading up to key matches, restaurants and hospitality may benefit from elevated demand – particularly when supported by ancillary events and fan experiences.
Other recent examples suggest that cities hosting major events like the World Cup stand to benefit from an influx of out-of-town visitors – particularly those with higher spending power.
Since the beginning of 2025, New Orleans has hosted a series of popular events that drove significant non-local traffic. AI-powered trade area data indicates that during these periods, out-of-market visitors consistently exhibited a higher median HHI than both local residents and typical commuters into the city.
As expected, the 2025 Super Bowl generated the most pronounced spike in out-of-market visitor median HHI among the events analyzed, but the pattern extends beyond one-time spectacles. Recurring events like Mardi Gras and major music festivals also attracted high-income visitors to the city – likely benefitting the local hospitality, dining, and retail industries.
Looking ahead to the 2026 World Cup, host cities are likely to experience a similar dynamic. The tournament’s global draw will likely bring affluent travelers with discretionary dollars to the host regions – visitors that will spend not only on match tickets, but also on accommodation, dining, and shopping. By sponsoring tournament-related festivals, concerts, and experiences in or near retail corridors, cities can amplify the economic impact of the World Cup beyond the stadium.
The impact of the 2026 World Cup is unlikely to be confined to the select cities hosting matches. Major sporting events drive large-scale at-home viewership, generating ripple effects nationwide.
The Super Bowl offers a useful benchmark. In the days leading up to February 8th, 2026, visits to grocery stores and pizza chains rose above day-of-week averages for 2025, ultimately peaking on the day of the big game day as households appeared to pick up last-minute fixings and takeout for their watch parties.
This pattern indicates that the World Cup – with its extended schedule and multiple high-stakes matchups – could drive repeated waves of elevated grocery and take-out demand as fans gather together throughout the tournament.
Of course, at-home viewing is just one piece of the match-day equation. Many fans opt for a more communal experience – gathering at sports bars across the country to watch the game alongside fellow supporters.
Recent highly-anticipated soccer matches offer a clear signal of this behavior. During the recent Allstate Continental Clásico, MLS Cup Final, and SheBelieves Cup Final, top sports bars in key markets like Los Angeles and Miami recorded visit spikes above day-of-week averages.
Not every World Cup fan will be able to attend in-person or travel to a host city, but previous match-day lifts in sports bar traffic demonstrate that fans nationwide will participate in the tournament experience.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to engage a wide spectrum of fans – from casual viewers at home to dedicated supporters traveling to stadiums – shaping how and where demand emerges.
As a result, the tournament’s impact will be felt across multiple layers of retail, dining, and tourism. Stadium-centered spending, activity in surrounding corridors, host-city consumer demand, and gatherings of spectators nationwide all point to a broad and interconnected World Cup effect that is likely to shape both audience composition and behavior at scale.
