Store openings may have matched closings in 2021

According to tracking by Coresight Research, for the first time in five years, retail store openings and closings may have reached equilibrium in 2021. In recent years, retail chains have been purging underperforming stores, especially in 2020 when operators rushed to cut costs in response to the rages of the pandemic. The comeback in 2021 may, therefore, be a temporary counteraction, but some chains, like Wayfair, are exhibiting signs that they will expand their physical presence next year as well.