In retail, sales per unit area is a standard and usually the primary measurement of store success. The unit of area is usually square metres in the

metric system The metric system is a system of measurement that succeeded the decimalised system based on the metre that had been introduced in France in the 1790s. The historical development of these systems culminated in the definition of the Interna ...

or square feet in

U.S. customary units United States customary units form a system of measurement units commonly used in the United States and U.S. territories since being standardized and adopted in 1832. The United States customary system (USCS or USC) developed from English units ...

. Square feet are also widely used in retailing in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, but there are signs of a trend towards use of square meters.

Sales levels in the United States

As of 2005 annual store sales in the range of $300 per square foot ($3,000/m²) is considered a respectable result in the United States as the national average for regional malls is $341 per

square foot The square foot (plural square feet; abbreviated sq. ft, sf, or ft2; also denoted by '2) is an imperial unit and U.S. customary unit (non- SI, non-metric) of area, used mainly in the United States and partially in Canada, the United Kingdom, Bang ...

,Shopping Centers Today
but the target number depends on the location, the type of store and other factors. For example, the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

sets a precedent for Las Vegas stores. The location has the second highest sales per square foot of any mall in the nation at approximately $1,300 per square foot (Bal Harbour Shops is first with over $2,500 per square foot). The average for specialty apparel retailers, for instance, is $400 per square foot ($4,400/m²), and according to Baseline Magazine the retailer

Hot Topic Hot Topic, Inc. (stylized as HOT TOPIC) is an American retail chain specializing in counterculture-related clothing and accessories, as well as licensed music. The stores are aimed towards an audience interested in rock music and video gaming ...

achieves an annual $619 per square foot ($6,660/m²). According to industry research firm RetailSails, Apple has the highest sales per square foot, with average in all their stores of $6,050 per square foot annually. Among

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...

retailers the food court area, considered as a single store, and jewelers post the highest sales per unit area, in the range of $600 per square foot ($6,600/m²). Books and sporting goods are among the lowest.

References

{{Reflist Retail analytics