Chain Stores Grow in NYC, But at Slower Pace

NEW YORK CITY-It's time to make the donuts. Dunkin Donuts, already the largest national retailer across the five boroughs, recently crossed the 500-store threshold here, according to the Center for an Urban Future. CUF said the donut chain's 39-store gain over the past year was part of the smallest year-over-year increase in in the number of national retail locations across the city over the six years that it has published its annual “State of the Chains” study.

That being said, CUF notes that there's been a net increase in the number of locations each year since the study began. The report showed a 0.5% increase in New York City locations between 2012 and 2013, compared to a 2.4% gain between 2011 and last year.

Two boroughs—Manhattan and Queens—actually experienced a decline in the number of chain stores over the past year, part of a downsizing that saw two retailers—Blockbuster and Daffy's—close their doors entirely. The 302 national retailers that were listed on last year's ranking expanded their footprint in New York City from a total of 7,190 stores in '12 to 7,226 stores this year.

Individual chains expanded their presence at far greater velocity than the citywide average. Dunkin, for example, grew 8% Y-O-Y to 515 locations across the five boroughs, while second-ranked Subway grew by 6% to 467.

Of all the boroughs, Brooklyn experienced the largest percentage increase, with a 2.8% Y-O-Y increase in the number of chain stores to 1,511 locations. It marks the second straight year of significant growth for Brooklyn, which had a 2.6% increase in chain stores the previous year.