So much has been made about the future of retail in the United States. Is it dead? Is it back? How has it evolved? No doubt, retail was the sector most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and that is also true here in Washington, D.C. If you look at regional data, it appears to be rebounding nicely. The overall market currently boasts a near record-low vacancy rate at just 5.1 percent, according to CoStar Group. Tighter market conditions have helped landlords restore pricing power throughout the District, and asking rents and rent growth have surpassed pre-pandemic highs. When we measure by net absorption, retail demand in the region in 2022 is on pace to reach its highest level since 2016. But numbers don’t tell the whole story as the retail sector’s recovery in D.C.’s downtown market post COVID differs greatly from all of the metropolitan area’s other submarkets in a scenario that can only be described as a tale of two markets. Downtown D.C. So, what’s driving downtown retail these days? Simply, it’s the office market. Retail’s post-pandemic recovery is almost entirely dependent on office workers, and there is no more significant factor at play for its success than corporation’s …
