Brick-And-Mortar Boom Comes As Retail E-Commerce Becomes More Reliant on Physical Stores

“We mined their private archives for the historical jackets on the walls, sourced vintage pieces at the entry and throughout the store,” says Melissa Gonzalez, Founder of Lionesque Group. A series of orange shadow boxes displays Alpha’s historic styles including the MA-1 and its predecessor the B-150D flight jacket along one wall. In all, visitors can view more than two dozen vintage items throughout.

The U.S. has seen several retailers across the country forced to close their brick-and-mortar stores amid the rise of e-commerce over the past few years. However, we are in the midst of a brick-and-mortar boom, with retailers expected to open more stores this year than they close, for the first time since 2017, according to an analysis of more than 900 chains by IHL Group, a research and advisory company. At the same time, the e-commerce businesses of retailers have become more dependent on physical stores to fulfill orders, especially during the holiday shopping season. Lionesque Group CEO Melissa Gonzalez joins Cheddar News’ Closing Bell to discuss.