TRAFFIC PATTERNS

CHANGING CHANNELS

While everyone shops at grocery stores, American shoppers are making fewer trips annually to their local supermarket. Meanwhile, they're shopping more often at dollar stores and at supercenters like SuperTarget.

HOME DEPOT VS. LOWE'S

The two home improvement titans continue to expand, locking horns in some markets. During 2002, both companies opened most of their new stores in the South Atlantic census region, which includes Maryland, D.C., the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida, followed by the West North Central and Middle Atlantic regions. In New England, however, Home Depot was the clear leader; it opened 16 stores, or 9 percent of its yearly total, compared to Lowe's four store openings. Home Depot continues to lead Lowe's in major market penetration.

SEGMENTING ASIAN CONSUMERS

Among Asian Americans, Indians, Vietnamese and Filipinos are the fastest growing submarkets. The Chinese, Japanese and Korean populations experienced a slight decline between 1990 and 2000.

STREETFRONT PERSPECTIVES

All urban retail spaces aren't created equal. In fact, a shop on Fifth Avenue costs 40 times the price of space in downtown St. Louis. Grubb & Ellis' 2002 Premier Urban Shop Space survey uncovers the highs and lows of streetfront rents.