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Peripheral shopping areas defy retail crisis and remain surprisingly popular

City-edge locations benefit from accessibility and online sales

July 6, 2026

By Noortje Franssen

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Merel Roel

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While many city centres are feeling the pressure of e-commerce, retailer bankruptcies and changing consumer behaviour, retail parks on the outskirts of cities continue to perform remarkably well. According to new research by real estate advisor CBRE, these locations remain highly attractive to both consumers and retailers thanks to their excellent accessibility, their growing role in omnichannel retail, and efficient distribution networks. As a result, retail parks are among the few retail formats that have required little reinvention in recent years.

Retail parks did not have to reinvent themselves

The retail sector has undergone significant change over the past decade. E-commerce continued to grow, consumers increasingly sought experiences alongside shopping, and retail destinations invested heavily in food, leisure and new concepts. At the same time, several major retailers, including BCC, Big Bazar and Carpetright, disappeared from the market altogether or significantly reduced their footprint, putting additional pressure on physical retail locations.

Yet these developments have had relatively little impact on retail parks. Centres focused on home improvement, furniture, garden products and everyday essentials largely serve the same purpose today as they did nine years ago. Retailers in these locations have successfully adapted to consumer demand for convenience by embracing click & collect, allowing customers to research and purchase products online before collecting them in-store.

This consistency is also reflected in the tenant mix. Since 2017, the five largest retail chains in these locations have remained virtually unchanged: Leen Bakker, JYSK, Kwantum, Beter Bed and Praxis. At the same time, newer occupiers such as gyms, bicycle retailers, baby stores and toy shops have expanded their presence. DIY stores, furniture retailers and other home-related brands continue to form the backbone of the sector. Changes have mainly occurred at the margins, while the core proposition of retail parks has remained firmly intact.

A remarkably stable foundation

This stability is also evident in occupancy levels. With a vacancy rate of just 4.4%, retail parks outperform the national average for retail real estate, which stands at 5.5%. More than one-third of the retail parks surveyed had no vacant units at all. When vacancies do arise, they are often filled quickly. Around half of all former Carpetright stores, for example, had already been re-let within seven months of becoming available.

Roxanne Schultz, Director Retail at CBRE: “Retail parks have strengthened their market position considerably in recent years. Many are no longer located on the edge of the city—the city has effectively grown around them. At the same time, consumers still value physical stores for larger purchases such as furniture and beds. We are also seeing increasing demand for new uses within retail parks. While zoning restrictions continue to limit some developments, both consumers and retailers are clearly driving demand for broader offerings. We expect this trend to continue in the coming years.”

About CBRE Group, Inc
CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE: CBRE), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Dallas, is the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm and a premier provider of critical infrastructure services (based on 2025 revenue). The company has more than 155,000 employees (including Turner & Townsend employees) serving clients in more than 100 countries. CBRE serves clients through four business segments: Advisory (leasing, sales, debt origination, mortgage servicing, valuations); Building Operations & Experience (facilities management, property management, flex space & experience, data center solutions); Project Management (program management, project management, cost consulting); Real Estate Investments (investment management, development). Please visit our website at www.cbre.com.

 

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