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LOC <br />CONSULTING <br />Market Analysis for Downtown Redevelopment <br />City of Centerville Economic Development Authority <br />April 3, 2023 <br />4.Retail Market Analysis <br />This section examines the restaurant and retail <br />market in the Downtown Centerville Primary <br />Market Area (PMA). <br />Retail real estate has seen dramatic change in the <br />last 10 years. Even prior to the COVID19 pandemic, <br />shifting incomes, changing consumer preferences, <br />and the growth of e-commerce had resulted in a <br />significant number of store closures and shuttered <br />shopping centers across the country. With the <br />pandemic, many of these trends that were <br />negatively impacting retail have accelerated. Other <br />trends that were trending positive —like the growth <br />of health clubs and experiential retail —have now <br />reversed and slowed considerably. <br />On the other side, many retail concepts have done <br />well during the coronavirus pandemic. Grocery <br />stores, liquor stores, and home improvement all <br />experienced strong sales during this period. And <br />retail concepts that have been able leverage their e- <br />commerce operations and alternative methods of <br />delivery —like curbside pickup —were able to <br />maintain most of their sales. <br />While there have been significant disruptions, the <br />traditional analytic lens of retail has stayed <br />relatively consistent. Based on an understanding of <br />consumer spending in an area and the ability to <br />target the right retail to capture that spend, the <br />framework provides a tool to understand how these <br />shifts drive changes in demand for retail space. <br />Retail and restaurant space can be found in malls, <br />shopping centers, and freestanding buildings —both <br />individual structures and street -front business <br />districts. Mixed -use projects —where retail is <br />combined with residential or office —have also <br />become popular with developers and local planners. <br />Retail is often viewed along a spectrum of <br />convenience versus destination. Convenience <br />retailers are grocery stores, drugstores, liquor <br />stores, home improvement stores, coffee shops, and <br />quick -service and fast -casual restaurants. At the <br />destination end of the spectrum are department <br />stores, apparel and accessories stores, furniture, <br />electronics, sporting goods, higher -end restaurants. <br />General merchandisers and clubs —like Costco, <br />Target, and Walmart—seek to capitalize on <br />spending from both ends of the spectrum. <br />The location of a planned retail development <br />determines which types of retail will succeed. <br />Convenience locations need more frequent trips and <br />generally higher population densities to drive <br />smaller purchases and support lower margins. <br />Destination retail may need higher incomes and <br />proximity to similar types of retail to support the <br />fact that their customers make less frequent trips to <br />their establishments. <br />Key Retail Trends <br />Here are key trends in retail that will impact the <br />amount and types of space that retailers will <br />demand in the Downtown Centerville PMA. <br />1. Consumer spending has been surprisingly <br />strong. <br />With a tight labor market and the resulting wage <br />growth, purchasing power of households has been <br />strong. Even as the inflation increased in the second <br />half of 2022, households continued to spend at <br />levels comparable to 2 02 1. And, unlike the <br />shutdowns of 2020, consumers spread their <br />spending to both e-commerce and brick -and -mortar <br />channels. This sustained spending has pushed <br />retailers to add new locations and demand <br />additional space at existing locations. <br />2. The coronavirus pandemic changed the way <br />consumers shop. <br />Buy online and pickup in-store (sometimes called <br />"BOPIS") was already a major trend for retail headed <br />into the pandemic, but COVID-19 put gasoline on the <br />fire. To address safety concerns, retailers quickly <br />developed curb -side pickup, enhanced drive - <br />through, delivery, and online ordering capabilities. <br />Page 162 <br />