For decades, the rhetoric around national retail real estate vacancies has been around the “retail apocalypse” conversation, how over-retailed we are as a country and what to do with all the empty spaces. Many professionals in the industry never thought they would see the day that 98 percent of shopping center retail spaces listed in 2023 were leased within nine months, as noted by CoStar’s recent report.

If you’re a retailer, it can feel like you’re stuck as you look out at the current landscape of high demand and competition for less available space. There are a few ways to look at this situation and open successful stores, dependent on a retailer’s objectives and category.