Thanks for Visiting!

Register for free to get the full story.

Sign Up
Already have a Placer.ai account? Log In

Placer Bytes: Athleisure Check-In, Citi Trends & Friendly's

by 
Ethan Chernofsky
 on 
January 28, 2021
Placer Bytes: Athleisure Check-In, Citi Trends & Friendly's

In this Placer Bytes, we dive into the athleisure sector, the announcement by Citi Trends of 100 new stores, and the acquisition of Friendly’s by the Amici Partners Group.

Will Athleisure’s Strong Position Hold?

In a year dominated by headlines around the struggles of apparel, the wider athletic apparel and athleisure space outperformed. 

When analyzing Under Armour, Nike and Lululemon we see all three brands enjoying year-over-year growth in January and February before the pandemic brought visits to a screeching halt. The three also recovered exceptionally well with visits down just 2.1% and 9.7% year over year for Nike and Lululemon respectively in October, while Under Armour saw 8.4% year-over-year growth that same month. Yet, the resurgence of COVID cases in November hit these brands hard with November and December seeing significant increases in the visit gap. 

But diving a level deeper paints a more optimistic picture to the latest COVID effect. While the offline performance of these brands was assuredly affected by the rise of COVID cases, they have already been showing signs of a return to strength. Visits the week of December 28th, marked a huge step forward across the board. Under Armour saw visits down just 5.3%, compared to 30.2% down the week of the 21st. Looking at this same period, Nike saw that visit gap shrink from 38.0% to 19.2% and Lululemon saw it drop from 40.2% to 19.6%. 

And the pace continued into early 2021. The weeks beginning January 4th and 11th saw visits down an average of just 6.9% year over year for Nike, and just 9.1% for Lululemon. Under Armour actually saw visits up 14.3% year over year, though much of this centers around a wider surge for the brand coming off a period of relative difficulty in recent years. Nonetheless, the arrow for these brands is clearly pointing up. Health and wellness are taking center stage and few brands address that need from an apparel perspective better than these. Additionally, the ability to work or learn from anywhere certainly gives a boost to more comfortable apparel options. Should these brands prove capable of continuing to ride this wave and maximize these trends, they could enjoy an exceptional 2021.

Citi Trends Opening 100 New Stores

In 2020, average monthly visits for Citi Trends locations were down 14.7% in Q4 - so why is the brand expanding? Beyond the fact that this performance was relatively strong considering the pandemic environment, the key is to look pre-COVID. Visits in January and February were up 16.9% and 25.5% year over year respectively following a 2019 where monthly visits were up an average of 16.8% year over year. 

And not only is the pre-pandemic strength important but also the post-COVID potential. The brand’s value orientation during a period of economic uncertainty could provide a powerful opportunity, and when combined with the pre-COVID track record, speaks to a good reason to expand quickly.

Can Amici Turn Friendly’s Around?

The sitdown restaurant sector has been facing challenges for years and the pandemic certainly didn’t help. So why was Friendly’s an acquisition target? Beyond a relatively low cost, the brand saw visits down just 3.8% and 4.9% in January and February of 2020. While this is nothing to shout about from the rooftops, it is far better than 2019, when monthly visits were down 18.3% on average. 

Could this show signs of a potential turnaround? Absolutely. Is it a guarantee in the current environment? Definitely not.


Can athleisure continue to rise? Will Citi Trends drive more value in its expansion? Will Friendly’s new owner drive a turnaround? Visit Placer.ai to find out.

Get 3 brand & industry
breakdowns every week

Subscribe to the newsletter

Great! Prepare your inbox for data-driven insights...
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Get a Demo

Please enter your first name
Please enter your last name
Please provide a valid email
Please enter your email
Please enter company name

Thanks for reaching out!

One of our experts will be in touch soon

Try Placer.ai Free
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Small Coffee Chains Brewing Big Success
Placer.ai White Paper Recap – November 2023
Thanksgiving Travel 2023 Recap
Checking in With Nike and Lululemon
Black Friday 2023 Retail Recap
Starbucks’ 2023 Holiday Menu & Red Cup Day Performance
Turkey Wednesday 2023
Who Attended the 2023 Pickleball Championship? 
Three Surprising Holiday Shopping Trends
What’s in Store for Ulta Beauty This Holiday Season?
Best Buy and Department Stores: A Holiday Deep Dive
Discount & Dollar Stores: Strength Toward The End of the Year
The State of Off-Price Retail: Discounts Seal The Deal
Placer Mall Index Recap: October 2023
Placer.ai Office Index: October 2023 Recap
Retail Corridors Ahead of the 2023 Holiday Season
California, Here Gap Comes
Checking in With Home Improvement
Getting Into the Glasses Game: Warby Parker Takes Over
Fitness Positioned for a Strong 2023 Finish
White Paper Recap: October 2023
Coffee Giants Brewing Up Business
Popeyes and Burger King Lead the Way
Diving into Yum!
Looking Ahead to Black Friday 2023
Blockbusters Drive Movie Theater Comeback
Crocs and Boot Barn: Shoe-Ins for Success
McDonald’s and Chipotle's Winning Recipe
The State Of Steak: Checking in With Texas Roadhouse
Pleasant Pastimes: Pickleball Potential Proves Potent
Who’s Driving Downtown Manhattan’s Weekend Revival?
Diving into Downtown Manhattan Foot Traffic Trends
Rite Aid: Rightsizing Right
Major League Soccer: Its Die-Hard and Casual Fans
The Anchor Recap: September 2023
Placer.ai Office Index: September 2023 Recap
Placer Mall Index Recap: September 2023
September White Paper Recap
The Consumer Habits of College Students
JCPenney: Rightsizing and Revitalizing
Pent-Up Demand Ahead of October Sales Events
4 Strategies Retailers are Using to Drive Traffic to Their Venues
5 Key Regional Grocery Players Impressing in 2023
Upscale Kitchenware Trending Up
Costco Finds More Room for Growth
Four C-Store Chains Making an A-Grade
National Parks + Outdoor Summer Activities
Diving Into Darden: Summer 2023 Update
The Summer Event Effect
Messi: Massive in Miami
Looking Back on Back to School 2023
The Anchor Recap: August 2023
Placer.ai Office Index: August 2023 Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index: August 2023 Recap
Placer.ai White Paper Recap: August 2023
Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte Strikes Again
Big Scoop: We All Scream For Ice Cream
Sports Away: Lululemon & Nike’s Momentum Continues
Summer Visits Heat Up For Recreation and Outdoor Gear Chains
No CSS overwrite - July 2023 Office Index Recap
Staging - August 2023 Mall Indec
Mid-Atlantic Grocery Deep Dive
Experiential Chains Heating Up This Summer
Petco Goes Big by Going Small
Ulta Beauty: Leading the Discretionary Pack
Discount and Dollar Chains Continue to Thrive
Summer of Sports: DICK’s Sporting Goods and Hibbett Sports
Off-Price: Succeeding Into Summer
The Anchor Recap: July 2023
Superstores Maintaining Pandemic Gains Amidst Economic Headwinds
2023: Home Improvement at the Halfway Point
July 2023 Office Index Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index: July 2023 Recap
The Taylor Swift Visit Lift
Southwestern Grocery Dive
July 2023 White Paper Recap: Halfway Point Review & Quarterly Index
Yum! Brands: Driving Dining Visits
Slurpees and Summer Movies Stimulate Consumer Foot Traffic
Cool Beans: Summer Coffee Update
Checking In on Back to School 2023
Crocs and New Balance Tip The Scales
Burger Bliss: Shake Shack and In-N-Out Stacking Visits
Chipotle & McDonald's Continue to Reign Supreme
Vibenomics and Placer.ai Partner to Enhance Retail Media In-Store Measurement
California Grocers Here We Come!
Marriott’s Different Audiences
Bonchon and Kura Sushi Thrive in the Fast-Casual Scene
A Shoe In: Footwear Climbs to the Top
Cheers! Raising a Glass to Beverage Retail
Placer.ai Office Index: June 2023 Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index June 2023 Recap – A Turn of the Tide and a Dive into Open-Air Lifestyle Centers
Local Kitchens: Redefining the Restaurant
Unlocking Urban Insights: The Value in Manhattan’s Employees
Ohio State Parks On The Rise
How is Inflation Impacting the High-Income Shoppers?
Five Fast-Growing Dining Chains
What To Expect From Prime Day and July Sales Events in 2023
The State Of Fashion: How Are Apparel Retailers Faring in 2023?
2023’s Latest Dining Success Story: GEN Korean BBQ House
The NBA Finals: A Location Intelligence Perspective