Retail rent collections are continuing to improve. A monthly report from Datex Property Solutions shows retail collections totaled 87.7% in March 2021, the highest rate since the start of the pandemic—collections totaled 90.9% in March 2020—and a stark improvement from the 40% total collections in April 2020.

"With collection levels at 56% of gross monthly rent charges, collections had only one direction to go: up," Mark Sigal, CEO of Datex Property Solutions, tells GlobeSt.com. "Flash forward to today, and we are now within 3% to 4% of where rent collections were prior to the crash. With some caveats, we're chugging along and returning to normalcy."

Retail activity has improved as the pandemic has waned, supporting better business and improving rent payments for retailers. The vaccine distribution has played an important role as have stimulus checks. "In most merchant categories retail starts to be able to support pre-pandemic store capacity levels," says Sigal. "Factor in the torrent of stimulus dollars, a consumer who's pent up to get back to normal and with money to burn, and collections feel like they should only get stronger in the months ahead."