The turn of the new year means that, metaphorically, as one door closes, another opens, and the same is literally true on the daily in the world of retail real estate.

From Party City to Walgreens to Kohl’s, a number of retailers spent last year closing some—or all—of their doors, while others like Trader Joe’s and Barnes & Noble continued opening new ones. And those changes are happening quickly: Last year, 40% of retail space leased was absorbed in five months (that’s a good thing), with median lease-up time dropping below seven months for the first time ever, according to a recent report from real estate company Colliers.

With last year’s flurry of bankruptcy announcements now slowing, many new leasing deals mean many store openings are set to come in 2026, per Colliers. As retailers try different formats and expanding footprints, and international retailers make a play for the US market, there’s actually high demand for space, Anjee Solanki, national director of Retail Services and Practice Groups at Colliers, told Retail Brew. She shared the trends and keys to success for the year ahead.

Vibe check: To set the stage for sentiment entering the new year, there isn’t a ton of optimism from retailers or consumers. Compared to 2025, 48% of retailers expect this year’s sales to be worse, while 21.4% anticipate improvement, per Colliers. And 55.4% of consumers are pessimistic about the new year, though only 34.4% said they aim to spend less this year.

The consumer is still spending, just differently, Solanki noted. Beauty, footwear, and apparel are categories with strong momentum. Apparel in particular has been performing well within the outlet sector, she noted, due to deep discounting. The narrative of mid-tier retailers stuck in the middle of a “polarized market”—with budget-conscious consumers opting for value and higher income shoppers turning to luxury—will continue into 2026, Colliers predicted.

So retailers are certainly being careful—but not sitting still.

Keep reading here.—EC

Entering its 50th year stateside, Aldi is hitting the ground running by breaking ground this year on a host of new locations.

The discount grocer today announced footprint expansion plans that could push it to become the nation’s second-largest supermarket in terms of store count. It also said it would improve its supply chain operations and ecommerce experience, reaching a total investment of $9 billion over five years by 2028.

Aldi will open more than 180 new stores this year, bringing its footprint to ~2,800 amid its goal to reach 3,200 stores by 2028. It’ll debut in Portland, Maine—its 40th state—along with 10 new stores in Phoenix, Arizona (with 40 planned for 2030). Aldi will also double its Las Vegas footprint—where it opened four stores in 2025—by 2030, and open 50 stores in Colorado over the next five years.

On the back of its Southeastern Grocers deal, it’ll convert 80 of the grocer’s locations into Aldi stores, building on the 90 it’s already converted, and will change more than 200 by 2027.

Keep reading here.—EC

Cost-conscious consumers skipped run-of-the-mill gifts in December in favor of more creative picks, with sets and kits surging across hobbyist and DIY categories, per data shared first with Retail Brew.

Sales of items like paddle ball sets jumped 251%, followed by candle-making kits (121%), science and exploration sets (120%), bocce ball sets (111%), beading and jewelry-making kits (73%), and paint-by-number kits (54%).

For shoppers less interested in fueling their inner creative, classic toys and nostalgic favorites did the trick. Sales of yo-yos rose 76%, alongside kaleidoscopes (64%), footbags (61%), xylophones (56%), hula hoops (33%), and toy trains and train sets (29%).

Keep reading here.—JS

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