Casual dining took a major hit during COVID as diners avoided enclosed spaces and states introduced capacity restrictions to curb the spread of the virus. Now, foot traffic analysis of twenty-eight leading casual dining chains shows that the sector is returning to pre-COVID levels.

The seismic impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the retail industry continues to reverberate more than a year after the pandemic struck the globe. Forced to shutter stores overnight and rapidly escalate their shift to e-commerce, retailers have watched temporary effects, such as grocery hoarding and apparel overstock, gradually give way to new consumer behaviors and business practices that may permanently reshape the industry.

In 2020, the retail sector suffered due to shutdowns and pandemic restrictions on businesses. Additionally, in April 2020, the U.S. unemployment rate reached 14.7 percent, which is the highest it’s been since the Great Depression, according to CNBC.

Renter mobility across the U.S. came to a major halt during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, but multifamily experts say that as people have adapted to the new normal, people are moving again. That has benefited Houston, where search activity from people considering moving to the city has rebounded to prior levels. In particular, that interest has risen in the suburban markets.

China is ahead of the curve in its recovery from the recent COVID-19 outbreak, with many provinces slowly returning to normal levels of activity. Factories are restarting production and consumers are beginning to spend again. However, the crisis has had a dramatic and lingering impact on the nation’s shopping habits, with implications for brands in China and globally.

There are few sectors as central to the retail experience as grocery chains, and the wider space experienced a unique form of upheaval because of the pandemic. We dove into June data to get a sense of the pace of recovery, and which brands are well-positioned for the months to come.

With the health of the commercial real estate sector having been thrown into serious jeopardy by COVID-19, many are wondering just what the future holds for the space. Will social distancing kill it?  Read more in this article from MPA.