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The Center for an Urban Future has followed up last year's hit "Attack of the Chains" study with a terrifying new sequel: "Return of the Chains." [pdf] They're back, their power is growing, and not even the recession can stop them from ultimately setting up shop inside your skull. Since last year's report about national retailers' footprints across our increasingly homogeneous city, over 30 percent of the chain retailers have expanded their presence. Dunkin' Donuts tops the list for the second straight year, with 429 locations city-wide, despite losing 12 of its stores to the Tim Horton’s invasion and facing blatant NYPD pilfering. According to the report, Dunkin' added 88 new stores in the five boroughs since July 2008.
The thorough study includes a breakdown of 277 national retailers that have two or more stores in NYC, broken down by every borough and zip code. After Dunkin' Donuts, which opened 1,300 outlets worldwide in 2008, the other top of ambassadors of generic suburban ubiquity are Subway (361 locations), Starbucks (258), McDonald's (258), Duane Reade (229), and Baskin-Robbins (207). Those chains all added stores in the past 12 months. TGI Friday's, which plans to open in Union Square unless Twitter users can stop it, has a mere 11 locations.
Jonathan Bowles, the director of the center, tells City Room, "We certainly expected more national chains shrinking and going out of business. That’s the part of this that perplexes me the most. There may have been some stores which have seen the decline of real estate prices as an opportunity." The recession has definitely hurt smaller businesses, which have less margin of error to survive hard times, but not all the big chains have boomed during the bust. According to the study, Circuit City, Burritoville, Levitz, 1-800-Mattress and KB Toys are just some of the stores that have declared bankruptcy in the last year, while Rite Aid, Blimpie, AT&T Wireless and several others have considerably reduced their NYC presence.
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Forget TGI Friday's....Dunkin Donuts is opening up on Union Square in a days.
Falling rental rates are making for a push towards tenants who can still get financing - which usually means national retailers or large-scale franchisees. They're probably snapping these leases up cause of the lower rents.
Unfortunately the lower rents mean nothing for ma and pa restaurants who can't get a loan because of the economy and/or cannot sign a lease because landlords are demanding more securitization on their leases in the form of firmer credit checks or personal guarantees.
Duane Reade hasn't infiltrated my neighborhood yet. I really wish they would. The mom & pop pharmacy really isn't cutting it for me.
Can anyone tell me why Flatlands has the most chain stores in Brooklyn? Is there a gigantic mall out there I'm forgetting?
ummm -- King's Plaza maybe? Plus some big strip centers you can see off the Belt Pkwy.
I remember when Dunkin' Donuts took over the East Village. Seriously, who is eating all these donuts??
My guess would be those without an appreciation for irony. The same people who tell others to go back to the suburbs but don't want to walk another block out of their way or pay an extra dollar for a coffee.
Something tells me their business isn't donuts as much as coffee that's priced under starbucks.
Probably the many fat-arses you see all over.
http://i.zdnet.com/blogs/homer-simpson-with-doughnut.jpg
No one is eating the donuts. However, as people are required to work more hours and sleeping less to earn a living, they are drinking more coffee.
Who are the people who eat Domino's in NYC when there are hundreds of other, better pizza places?
I'd go to Chipotle any day over the no-name burrito places that are usually filthy, hot and have rude owners.
I remember walking into my ex's apartment one evening only to find the counter littered with Domino's pizzas his roommate had ordered. I think I almost cried.
What is a "national retailer?" Duane Reade has locations in only two states, Ricky's only has one store outside of NYC.
I was thinking the same thing...and DR doesn't have many locations outside Manhattan. But ambience/anomie/soul-sucking ordinariness-wise, it's a national chain.
American Apparel has sprung up around the city like a bad herpes outbreak. Selling stretch nylon arse garroting underwear to your customers ain't exactly helping the situation.
Independents aren't all good; and chains aren't all bad... In my industry (consumer electronics), independents cry all the time about my largest client (6th Avenue Electronics)... Yet it is 6th Ave that spends big cash on training their staff, and has a large selection of the latest gear on display and ready to demo. The majority of independents don't even have a showroom!
To tell the truth, I'm surprised there aren't more Taco Bells and Wendy's in the city. I'll always miss White Castle and Orange Julius, though.
Ahh I miss the good ol' days of Florsheim Shoes, A&S, Crazy Eddie, Chock Full O' Nuts...