GLA, Retail, and Support Area Square Feet

This year's survey respondents operated stores from under 1,000 square feet gross lease area (GLA) to more than 20,000 square feet, and averaged 3,429 square feet overall. The retail area represented 81% of GLA on average, with high-perishables stores needing more back-room support that left just 73% of GLA for retail presentation.

Perishables as a Percentage of Sales

As we've noted in each survey year, the small-footprint stores in Group 5 that focus on non-perishable vitamins and supplements tend to grow modestly annually. At the other end of the fresh spectrum, stores in Groups 1 and 2 that get a third or more of their sales from fresh perishables also tend to do well each year, driven by increases in the fresh categories. It is when stores have some refrigeration, but whose perishables sales hover between 5% and the 20% range, that year-over-year growth is hard to achieve.Stores in Group 4, which averaged 5.17% perishables sales this year, barely grew, adding less than a percentage point, 0.36%. And stores in Group 3, which averaged 18% in sales from perishables, lost just over a quarter-percentage point, (-0.28%).

Promotional Methods

* Lectures, sampling, handouts, store newsletters

Social media was the most popular promotional method among this year's respondents, with 80% saying they used this approach. Nearly 3 in 4 (73%) relied on in-store materials such as lectures, sampling, handouts and store newsletters. A large majority (70%) maintained a store website or sites. Nearly 4 in 10 (37%) took out online ads. One in three stores (33%) utilized radio to promote their stores, as did a similar percentage using direct mail. One in six (17%) still rely on the Yellow Pages to maintain a presence in their trade areas. One in 10 (10%) told us they did not promote their stores at all. A handful of stores (7%) used other promotional methods. These included sponsoring local little league teams and community events, billboards, and local printed coupon book advertisements.

Spending on Promotional Methods per Month per Store

Merchandising Methods

Nearly 7 in 10 (69%) of stores used in-store educational handouts, in-store sampling and product demonstrations. The same percentage were active on social media and/or maintained a "blog." Nearly half (48%) made printed newsletters available in-store. About four in 10 (38%) emailed a newsletter to their customer list. Just under a third (31%) offered consumer lectures. One in six (17%) told us they made an online database of nutritional information available. Again, as we saw with promotional activities, one in 10 stores (10%) were content to do no merchandising at all.

What’s Selling

Looking at shopping and delivery, we learned that most respondents favor analog methods to get products into their customers' hands. Every store permits in-person, in-store shopping, and three in four (74%) accept pre-orders via their website "Contact Us" link. About three in five (59%) take orders over the phone, via email, or text. 

Nearly two in five (38%) facilitate customers picking up pre-orders in-store, and the same percentage ship to customers via USPS, UPS, Fedex, or other common carrier. One in five (21%) still allow curbside pickup of pre-orders, 15% send their employees or a third-party contractor to deliver to customers' homes, and 10% facilitate e-commerce with an online catalog and digital payment. Another 8% utilize third-party online ordering and delivery applications, while 5% use a third-party fulfillment warehouse to handle online orders, and 3% use some other method to get products to customers. 

In terms of what drove sales, survey respondents put the spotlight on collagen, mushrooms, berberine, magnesium, sea moss, NAC, CBD, and tocotrienols in the supplement department, with joint support and brain health categories also driving sales. Pet supplements are another hot seller. 

In the personal care department, skin care, hair care and makeup move sales, with natural soaps and castor oil getting special shoutouts.

Grocery products filling shoppers’ carts include nuts and seeds, gluten-free products, local dairy and eggs, alt meat, avocados and frozen meals. 

Shopping Preferences: How Customers Obtain Products

Private Label

Two in three stores (66%) offered private label vitamins and supplements this year, a record in our survey history. Most (42%) carry between 25 and 199 SKUs, while 14% offer fewer than 25 SKUs. Ten percent of stores offer 200 or more SKUs, with one respondent telling us they stock 462 unique private label items.

Sales Forecast

Nearly half (45%) of respondents expect sales to tick up in 2026, with the average increase expected to be 8.6%. Five percent of respondents are expecting a downturn, with an average decline of 8%. Half of all respondents (50%) expect the status quo: no change in sales.

Expansions

More than one in 10 (11%) told us they expanded this year. Most (89%) did not expand this year. Expansions this year ranged from 1,000 square feet to 3,500 square feet, with cost per square feet ranging from $11 to $300.

Department expansions

The most popular departments for expansion this year were vitamins, herbs, and supplements; personal, body care, cosmetics; and non-foods, household, pet; each making up 15% of all expansions. Dry grocery; and dry bulk foods and bulk herbs each featured in 11% of all expansions. Frozen foods; refrigerated foods; fresh produce; and services/practitioner area; each garnered 7% of all expansions. Juice bar/café/deli/bakery/prepared foods/grab & go made up 4% of all expansions.

Future Plans

Optimism abounds, with 17% of respondents telling us they plan to expand or remodel their stores next year. Planned expansions range from 300 to 1,000 square feet, and are estimated to cost between $50 and $300 per square foot.

Planned expansions

Nearly one-in-four (22%) plan to expand their prepared food programs next year. Vitamins, herbs and supplements will get the expansion treatment in 17% of all expansions. Fresh produce; dry bulk foods and bulk herbs; and personal, body care, cosmetics each will feature in 11% of all expansions. Frozen food; refrigerated foods; dry grocery; non-foods, household, pet; and services / practioner area each will make up 6% of all expansions.

Store Openings and Closings

Optimism spread to store openings as well, with 14% of respondents telling us they opened one store this year. And 11% plan on opening one store next year. No respondents closed a store this year, and none plans to close a store next year. WF

Related: Retail Insights® 2026 Retail Universe for U.S. Premium Natural, Organic Foods, Supplements & Personal Care

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