Retail

Lee & Associates’ 2025 Q3 North America Market Report examines a commercial real estate landscape experiencing some pauses as the effects of exogenous forces work their way through the market. Economic and legal questions, the second- and third-order effects of tariffs, persistently high costs, unemployment concerns and the new realities of artificial intelligence (AI) have combined to produce mixed results across all property types. Demand for office and retail has increased (and their respective pipelines remain constrained). Of the four property types covered in the report — industrial, office, retail and multifamily — only retail saw transaction momentum in the previous quarter. Meanwhile, the overbuilt industrial and multifamily sectors have witnessed weakening or negative demand in the third quarter. Lee & Associates’ full, detailed market report is available to read here. The overviews for the sectors below reveal a market that seems to be holding its breath, awaiting new information. Industrial Overview: Markets Await Tariff Clarity Net absorption of industrial space increased in the third quarter across North America, but demand was weak and failed again to keep pace with the supply of new buildings, while tenant growth remained hobbled by tariff concerns and interest rates. In the United States, following 8.1 million square feet …