Weekly Perl: A Commercial Real Estate News Recap

US consumer inflation steady before Iran conflict drives up oil prices
WASHINGTON, March 11 (Reuters) - U.S. consumer prices rose moderately in February as rents maintained a steady pace of increases, though households paid more for gasoline and at the supermarket and higher costs are in store because of the escalating war in the Middle East.
The Consumer Price Index report from the Labor Department on Wednesday, which also showed underlying inflation muted last month, covered the period before the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran. The attacks at the end of February were met with retaliation by Tehran and have boosted oil prices...
PopUp Bagels’ ‘Conservatively Aggressive’ Growth Strategy Gains Traction Across U.S.
Tory Bartlett began as PopUp Bagels CEO in October 2024, and it wasn’t too long afterward that the chain began putting together an FDD and a franchising website.
That’s because the engine was already there. The concept began in 2020 as a fun pandemic activity for founder Adam Goldberg, but virality across social media—in large part due to the bagels’ smaller, crispier texture and unique schmears—catapulted the brand into the spotlight...
Grocery Outlet’s closing of three dozen US stores marks rare retreat among discounters
In a rare pullback by a U.S. discounter, Grocery Outlet is closing three dozen underperforming stores this year, most on the East Coast, even as other lower-cost supermarket chains such as Aldi and Lidl are rapidly expanding their retail property nationally.
Grocery Outlet, an Emeryville, California-based specialty retailer, unveiled its plan as it posted a fiscal fourth-quarter net loss of $218.2 million, compared with $2.3 million in net income in the prior-year period. Comparable store sales slipped about 1%...
NRF: Retail sales grow in February for fifth consecutive month
Retail sales grew again in February on both a month over month and year over year basis.
Core retail sales (excluding restaurants, auto dealers and gas stations) inched up 0.28% month over month in February and were up 6.24% year over year, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor released Wednesday, March 10, by the National Retail Federation...
Saks Global reveals more Saks, Neiman store closings — here are the locations
Saks Global continues its planned "optimization" across its store portfolio.
The luxury retail company, which filed for bankruptcy protection in January, announced a new round of store closings that include 12 Saks Fifth Avenue locations and 3 Neiman Marcus stores (all locations listed at end of article). The stores are expected to remain open through May...

Costco tops estimates; eyes 28 new openings, with 30-plus in ‘coming years’
Costco Wholesale Corp. maintained momentum during its holiday quarter with better-than-expected earnings and sales fueled by strong consumer demand in-store and online.
On the company’s earnings call, executives said Costco expects to have 28 net new openings in its current fiscal year, and is targeting 30-plus new opening annually in the “coming years...”

Ross Stores opens 17 locations in February, March — here's where
Ross Stores Inc. is heading into spring with an expanded store footprint.
The off-price apparel giant is opening 17 new stores in February and March, including 13 Ross Dress for Less stores and four DD’s Discounts locations across 11 states (full list of new locations found at later in article)...
Walmart closes stores in February
Family Dollar stores closures hit the triple digits in February as the retailer continues to develop a new strategy. A total of 100 Family Dollar locations were closed with many happening in the South and Southeast, according to the latest data provided by ScrapeHero.
Walmart closed four stores, including three Sam’s Club locations in Fayetteville, Ark., Indianapolis, Ind., and Lebanon, Tenn. The Walmart store that closed was in Bentonville, Ark. Dollar Tree closed 9 stores, including three in California. Walgreens closed 6 locations...

It's official: Fitness centers, pickleball courts, other services now dominate retail real estate
Retail leasing reached a structural turning point in 2025. For the first year on record, service-based retailers leased more space than traditional goods-based tenants.
And while the margin was narrow, 50.4% services to 49.6% goods, the crossover is meaningful as it reflects the long-running reallocation of consumer spending and the continued evolution of physical retail space toward uses that are less vulnerable to e-commerce...











