Retail

The Washington, D.C., commercial real estate market is intricate, shaped by broad economic trends and local dynamics. The recent federal government shutdown underscored ongoing challenges, intensifying uncertainty and slowing local transactions. Continued ambiguity around trade and tariff policies further complicates business planning, adding to the region’s cautious dealmaking environment. Anxiety affects the region’s key economic source: federal workers and contractors, who make up 40 percent of its economy. Since January 2025, federal job losses here have outpaced the national average, increasing the risk of a local slowdown. Despite the area’s wealth, ongoing job uncertainty should guide all investment and operational choices. The interplay between federal employment trends and local business activity means that investors and operators must remain vigilant, adapting strategies to respond to shifting workforce dynamics and consumer sentiment. Tale of two marketsThe D.C. retail market is split: downtown faces challenges due to office vacancies and low weekday traffic, while suburban and residential-heavy urban areas are thriving. Affluent spots in Northern Virginia and Suburban Maryland have the lowest vacancy rates thanks to stable local shoppers. These areas benefit from consistent foot traffic and resilient spending patterns, which help insulate them from broader economic volatility. From a capital markets perspective, …