News of store openings and concept upgrades is also helping to offset the number of closures. Wayfair, Nordstrom Rack, Tractor Supply, and Boot Barn are among those adding physical locations, while others like Helzberg Diamonds and Chick fil-A are updating store concepts, according to reports in Chain Store Age.

Also boding well, mall traffic is on the upswing. Placer.ai’s Mall Index saw October rebound sharply after a soft summer, with foot traffic to indoor malls, open-air shopping centers, and outlet malls rising significantly both year over year and month over month.

For items like furniture, today’s shoppers move fluidly between digital and physical touchpoints, notes HomeByMe. Gaining inspiration online, they’ll move to a configurator, validate in-store, and then finalize their purchase with the guidance of a salesperson.

The 2025 Wood Industry Almanac is sponsored by IMA Schelling Group.

Click on the infographic to enlarge. 

Quick Stats (Includes items not shown in print.)

• Respondents to Retail TouchPoints’ 2025 Benchmark Survey named the rising cost of materials (67%), tighter store design budgets (40%), and integrating digital media & tech components (37%) the top three challenges impacting store design and experience. Supply chain delays (31%) was fourth.

• NielsenIQ’s Spend Z report projects that Gen Z will have the fastest growth in spending power, reaching an estimated $12 trillion by 2030, overtaking Baby Boomer spending by 2029. Although Gen Zers typically begin their shopping journey online, their share of in-store dollars is high, proving brick-and-mortar shopping remains vital.

• In April, the National Retail Federation forecast 2025 retail sales to grow between 2.7% and 3.7% to between $5.42 trillion and $5.48 trillion. Bricks-and-mortar locations remain a primary point of purchase for consumers. Holiday sales are also projected to grow.

• Despite low supply availability, tight, the retail investment landscape year-to-date 2025 is positive, with transaction volumes reaching $40 billion, according to JLL’s U.S. Retail Market Dynamics for Q3. Transaction volume for the year-to-date 2025 is outpacing the long-term average by 20%. Much of the demand for small spaces is coming from quick-service and fast-casual restaurant chains that continue to expand.

Market Data Sources: Placer.ai, Chain Store Age, HomeByMe, National Retail Federation (NRF), Prosper Insights & Analytics, The Retail TouchPoints Network, ICSC, Shop! Association, JLL Research, NielsenIQ (NIQ).  Category: Store fixtures & interiors: display cabinets & cashwraps, POP & full store interiors, kiosks, endcaps, slatwall & systems.

More data on North American woodworking and the specific wood product market segments can be found in the December 2025 FDMC Wood Industry Almanac. digital edition or the online almanac articles. Also, find market data year-round at WoodworkingNetwork.com/news/almanac-market-data.