This dataset tracks store openings, closings and meaningful retail strategy shifts in the U.S. market. We believe that retail shifts often reflect broader consumer behavior, underscoring where people are spending time and money.

This quarter, we’re tracking 85+ companies that are actively expanding, reducing, or rethinking their retail footprints in the U.S.

What we’re seeing:

• Wholesale still matters — but brands are being very thoughtful about the dtc-wholesale ratio.

• Newer brands with big potential: Jones Road, Skims, Sukoshi & more.

• International brands and retailers are expanding in the U.S., including from Japan, South Korea and China, as predicted in our 2026 Consumer Insights Report.

• Off-price and value players are expanding aggressively, with value players well positioned to benefit from belt-tightening consumers trading down.

• Closures don’t tell the whole story; brands are leaning into remodels and relocations.

The Retail Watch List is something we return to each quarter (both in our writing and in our client work) as a way of making sense of where retail is actually moving. We use it to think through questions of expansion, timing and what growth really looks like for brands and businesses right now. If you’re navigating similar decisions, we open up a small number of advisory sessions each month.

Methodology: The Retail Watch List is compiled from publicly available information analyzed through our expert lens.

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