Center City District report outlines a bright future for retail in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The Center City District has laid out its findings about what we lovingly call retail therapy. And the numbers are looking good!

"It's coming back to life, it's the place to be," says Tanya Shelton, who was visiting from York, Pennsylvania.

The Center City District has released its annual retail report showing occupancy is at 83%. That's up 15% in the last 5 years.

"I've been working down here in Center City for about four years now and I can say it definitely feels great," said Jazmine Babb, of North Philadelphia.

There's a boom of online retailers that have turned into brick-and-mortar shops.

"We're really seeing that Rittenhouse Row is one of the national leaders," says Clint Randall, VP of Economic Development for Center City District.

The CCD has dubbed 2024 "The Year of the Cookie," with Levain joining the crowd of 17 bakeries in the Center City Shopping District. Eight of which focus primarily on cookies!

Other businesses are getting creative and catering to the experience, like Beat the Bomb, which is an escape room turned slime-fest!

"So we're just seeing more and more of those sort of nightlife and dining concepts that combine the food and drink with some sort of activity or experience," said Randall.

Overall, foot traffic on weekdays is improving post-pandemic but weekends still lag behind.

The Center City District is looking ahead, with 32 new restaurants, 6 new retailers and 4 new service providers coming soon!