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Dallas-Fort Worth finished 2025 with a retail occupancy of 95.3%, an increase to the record occupancy first reported in 2023. Executive Managing Director Bob Young called it a “retail three-peat.”
“For the first time in our [survey’s 36-year history], three years in a row, occupancy has been at record levels,” he said. “Right now, we’re celebrating the market’s highest-ever occupancy of 95.3%.”
The report’s data is gathered by surveying more than 1,440 shopping centers across the DFW area. The report is available to view through Weitzman’s website, and a recording of the presentation can be found on Weitzman’s Youtube page.
Quote of note
“This back-to-back-to-back performance cements the remarkable retail stability in the face of inflation, tariff uncertainty, chain failures, rising construction costs, capital market ups and downs, and other economic headwinds,” Young said.
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Occupancy wasn’t the only measurement that increased since last year’s report. Total inventory increased to 202 million square feet, and new construction increased to 2.4 million square feet delivered, according to the retail market report. Vacant space fell to 9.5 million square feet from 9.7 million square feet in 2024.
“Retail follow rooftops, and today’s grocers are expanding due to our market’s phenomenal population growth,” Young said. “Part of that activity is related to grocers actually catching up with that growth.”
Multiple grocery stores are under development across North Texas cities, including Frisco, McKinney, Prosper, Celina and Denton.
“Currently—and almost unbelievably—we show 34 grocers in the works in 2026 and into 2027,” Young said. “From our lens, DFW is definitely the most active grocery market in the entire country.”
Looking ahead
Weitzman officials are projecting the retail market to remain stable, ending 2026 with a 95.4% occupancy rate and delivery of about 3.8 million square feet in new construction, Young said. That would be the highest amount of new space delivered since 2018 when the market added 3.5 million square feet.
Grocery stores and other anchor stores are projected to drive most of the new construction again. New stores are expected from H-E-B, Kroger, Tom Thumb, Walmart, Costco and Target, according to the 2026 retail report.
While each year promises new challenges for DFW’s retail market it “has never been stronger” in terms of balanced supply and demand, Young said.
“We are truly in a great market,” he said. “Even when we face challenges, we face them together. We use the term 'coopetition' for the way our industry and our cities work together for the region's greater good.”
