KeyPoint Partners, LLC has released The KeyPoint Report for Southern New Hampshire 2009, a comprehensive report on the retail real estate market in the region, according to Bob Sheehan, vice president of research. The KeyPoint Report examines supply, vacancy and absorption, retailer activity, and market composition by store size and retail categories within the region during the 12-month period beginning March 1, 2008 and ending March 1, 2009.
Retail expansion in southern New Hampshire was substantially curtailed during the study period. Among the top ten retailers in square footage growth, only two, Dollar Tree and Sleepy's Mattresses, added more than one store. Others heading the list are Kohl's, and Sports Authority.
No changes occurred in the top ten ranking of vacancy rate by town, as Nashua, Manchester, and Salem continue to lead the region in total retail space. Nashua encompasses 6.1 million s/f, nearly 1 million s/f higher than second place Manchester.
The studied market includes 39 cities and towns in southern New Hampshire, representing more than 835 square miles and 568,700 people (42% of the state population).