U.S. retail net absorption reached 9.6 million square feet in third quarter 2026, marking the fifth consecutive quarter of positive demand and the strongest quarterly performance since fourth quarter 2025, according to CBRE’s “Q3 2026 U.S. Retail Figures.”
Neighborhood, community and strip centers led all property types with 2.4 million square feet of net absorption, while Dallas led all markets with 924,000 square feet. Retailers continued to favor newly delivered space amid limited supply.
Retail availability declined slightly to 4.8 percent during the quarter, remaining within the narrow range of 4.7 percent to 4.9 percent recorded since fourth quarter 2022.
Construction completions fell to a quarterly low of 5.5 million square feet, as rising construction costs and labor shortages continued to constrain new development. The rolling four-quarter total also reached a record low of 7.4 million square fee
