Market Report
Kansas City Retail Market Report
3Q 2026
Discount Stores Help Sustain Leasing
Amid Sizable Tenant Departures
Blue-collar growth draws value retailers. The metro saw over 500,000 square feet of net move-outs in the first half, the second-highest total among major markets, lifting vacancy by 50 basis points to 5.0 percent. Still, leasing of 1.3 million square feet over that span was near the past decade average, supporting gradual backfilling. Off-price retailers such as Burlington, TJ Maxx, and Dollar Tree have dominated larger-box backfilling, aided by a growing blue-collar workforce. The metro’s manufacturing sector saw the second-fastest annual job growth among major markets in June, boosting spending by middle-income households.
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