Veraset

SOLE SEARCHING: FOOT LOCKER LOSING ITS FOOTING IN KEY MARKETS The path to retail recovery isn't always a straight line—but for Foot Locker, it's becoming a cliff. Our latest location intelligence shows Foot Locker's traffic has fallen off across Florida, New York, and Texas, with all three states showing roughly 70-80% declines by early March. The decline from the November '24 baseline tells an important story: ?? Recoveries in December and February failed to hold ?? TX stores outperform but still trend downward ?? All three states show synchronized collapses during key periods, indicating a national issue rather than regional challenges This traffic nosedive comes alongside the retailer's broader financial struggles—a 45% stock slide over six months, disappointing earnings, and analyst downgrades that repeatedly cite margin pressure and weakening consumer demand. Can Foot Locker find its stride again, or is this the beginning of a much longer marathon of challenges for specialty athletic retailers? [Data from Veraset Visits, November 2024 - March 2025]

(NOT) FOREVER 21: RETAILER TRAFFIC SHARE SLIPS AS STORES SHUTTER Forever 21's market position is looking increasingly temporary. Since December 2024, the fast fashion retailer has seen a ???????????????? ????.??% ?????????????? ???? ???????? ?????????????? ?????????? as it closes hundreds of underperforming locations to compete online. This closure marks the end of an era for a brand that once dominated mall culture and fast fashion in the U.S., achieving peak annual revenues of $4 billion in the mid-2010s. As Forever 21's decline marks fast fashion's physical retreat, we're witnessing retail's stark reality: in-store shopping isn't dying—it's becoming a luxury. The real question is: Which retailers will master turning square footage into an experience worth the trip? [Veraset Visits, December 2024 - March 2025]

PARKS & RECREATION: TECH CROWD BRANCHES OUT TO NATURE SITES, FITNESS CENTERS Convention says tech festivals drive downtown traffic. Location data tells a different story. We analyzed SXSW attendee visits outside conference hours—excluding restaurants and hotels—to reveal where they really spent their downtime. ?? Nature parks dominated with almost 3X more visits than performing arts venues ??♀? Fitness and rec centers ranked second, showing attendees prioritize wellness ??? Museums outperformed many traditional tourist attractions While SXSW programming concentrates downtown, attendees create ripples that extend beyond the festival's venues. Location intelligence reveals events' hidden economic and environmental impacts—challenging the notion of static trade areas and demonstrating how attendee interests determine a festival's true footprint, not its venue map. [Insights from Veraset Visits Cohort data, March 2025]

Grocery Giant Losing Ground? Tracking Kroger's Market Erosion in Key States Visitation data shows Kroger's losing market share in traditional stronghold states over the past four months: ?? Georgia: -5% market share (the steepest decline) ? Ohio: -3% market share in its home state ?? Kentucky: -2% market share, showing relative resilience This decline comes amid significant challenges: ? Leadership transitions ? Q4 sales decline of 7% (though earnings slightly beat expectations) ? $25B Albertsons merger blocked by federal judge ? Adjusting supply chain strategies to mitigate tariff impacts ? Navigating inflation with forecasts of 1.5-2.5% food price increases for 2025 Can the grocer gain ground in an increasingly fragmented grocery landscape? [Data from Veraset Visits, November 2024 through February 2025]

IN AUSTIN, WHOLE FOODS WINS ON DWELL THYME, BEETS OUT GROCERY COMPETITION Our data reveals that Whole Foods shoppers in Austin who also shop at other chains spend significantly more time at Whole Foods: ?? 4X longer vs. H-E-B ?? 5.5X longer vs. Trader Joe's ?? 7X longer vs. Sprouts. The industry fixates on price, but could visitation time be the more valuable currency? {Insights based on Veraset Visits data, Jan-Feb 2025}

ROOM FOR DISRUPTION: SXSW ATTENDEES CHECK IN LOCALLY, CHECK OUT OF HOTEL CHAINS Conventional wisdom says tech conferences like SXSW fill big-brand hotels. This past weekend's data suggests otherwise. ? Local and boutique accommodations dominated with 45.6% of stays—nearly half the market ? Marriott captured just 1/5 of the market—leading among traditional brands—despite having a massive Austin footprint ? The remaining eight major hotel corporations competed for just over one-third (34.5%) of festival-goers In a world where business travelers seem willing to trade big brand loyalty for “Main Street” locality, major chains absorbing competitors may be missing the real threat: thousands of independent operators collectively satisfying a growing demand for localized stays. Are SXSW's accommodation patterns just an Austin anomaly, or the canary in the coal mine for a hospitality industry that's bet heavily on predictability and sameness? Will standardization become a liability in an authenticity-driven market? [Insights from Veraset Visits data, March 7-8, 2025]

THE "STATE" OF FITNESS: IS LOCATION MORE IMPORTANT THAN MOTIVATION? We looked at the average length of gym and fitness center visits across some of the nation's fittest states for the past three months: ? Hawaii: 35 minutes ? Vermont and New Jersey: 26 minutes ? Massachusetts and Connecticut: 24 minutes ? Colorado: 22.9 minutes The numbers themselves aren't the insight. The regional patterns are. ?? Location data captures behavior traditional research methods miss ?? Geographic differences often suggest insights that national averages hide ?? Actual movement patterns tell more honest stories than surveys Location data reveals what people do, not what they say they do. It helps us see how time and place shape our decisions, be they fitness routines, shopping habits, dining preferences, commuting patterns, or event attendance. What patterns might be hiding in plain sight where you are? [Insights from Veraset Visits data, Dec 2024 - Feb 2025]

MEMBERSHIP MAGIC: COSTCO AND BJ'S MAKE WALMART SHOPPERS DISAPPEAR Walmart's New York supercenter traffic share dropped 15% in just one year, with membership clubs capturing the majority of these shoppers. ? BJ's Wholesale captured +7% traffic share ? Costco added +6% traffic share This shift aligns with Costco's recent earnings announcement, where visits increased 5.6% nationally, helping them exceed revenue expectations despite missing EPS projections. Meanwhile, BJ's stock reached all-time highs, driven by record membership results. The trend suggests that during economic uncertainty, shoppers aren't just seeking cheaper options—they're prioritizing guaranteed access to quality goods at predictable prices. The question isn't whether membership models are winning (the data makes that clear), but whether traditional retailers can recapture these consumers who have discovered that a membership card might be retail's most powerful mechanism for building enduring loyalty. [Insights from Veraset Visits data, Jan-Feb 2024 and Jan-Feb 2025]

GROCERY GIANT LOSING GROUND: TRACKING KROGER’S MARKET EROSION IN KEY STATES Visitation data shows Kroger's losing market share in traditional stronghold states over the past four months: ?? Georgia: -5% market share (the steepest decline)? ? Ohio: -3% market share in its home state? ?? Kentucky: -2% market share, showing relative resilience This decline comes amid significant challenges: ? Leadership transitions ? Q4 sales decline of 7% (though earnings slightly beat expectations) ? $25B Albertsons merger blocked by federal judge ? Adjusting supply chain strategies to mitigate tariff impacts? ? Navigating inflation with forecasts of 1.5-2.5% food price increases for 2025 Can the grocer gain ground in an increasingly fragmented grocery landscape? [Data from Veraset Visits, November 2024 through February 2025]

GROCERY GIANT LOSING GROUND: TRACKING KROGER’S MARKET EROSION IN KEY STATES Visitation data shows Kroger's losing market share in traditional stronghold states over the past four months: ?? Georgia: -5% market share (the steepest decline)? ? Ohio: -3% market share in its home state? ?? Kentucky: -2% market share, showing relative resilience This decline comes amid significant challenges: ? Leadership transitions ? Q4 sales decline of 7% (though earnings slightly beat expectations) ? $25B Albertsons merger blocked by federal judge ? Adjusting supply chain strategies to mitigate tariff impacts? ? Navigating inflation with forecasts of 1.5-2.5% food price increases for 2025 Can the grocer gain ground in an increasingly fragmented grocery landscape? [Data from Veraset Visits, November 2024 through February 2025]