These retail stores were the winners from the World Cup

If you were in one of the World Cup’s 11 US host cities and five in Canada and Mexico—or even remotely online—this summer, then you likely saw the influx of international World Cup travelers flocking to North America. So how much did retail businesses benefit?

According to a new report from Placer.ai and Colliers, dining visits jumped 53.7% YoY, while retail visits rose 22% within a mile of stadiums hosting World Cup matches.

Sporting goods stores were the retail standout, with visits on match days rising across all 11 US host metro areas at an average of 14% compared to typical pre-tournament weekday visits.

The report highlighted the efforts of Adidas, Fanatics, and Foot Locker, whose new and pop-up retail locations and activations saw particular success, with Adidas serving as the highest performing retailer in terms of foot traffic in June, with visits up 28% YoY.

Other categories like apparel, superstores, and QSRs, saw visits vary significantly by location, proving that despite the influx and consumer demand, “proximity alone does not guarantee that businesses will capture it,” Anjee Solanki, national director of Retail Services and Practice Groups at Colliers, said in a statement.

“The properties that performed best became part of the fan experience through the right tenant mix, gathering spaces, or activations,” she said. “For landlords and retailers, the opportunity is to move beyond simply being near an event and create destinations that consumers actively choose to visit.”

Zoom in: New York Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced the event created a $3.5 billion economic impact for New York and New Jersey, where the matches were played at MetLife Stadium, including $1.9 billion in direct spending, citing a report from Tourism Economics.

Retail accounted for $264 million, while food and beverage (including restaurants, fast food, and convenience stores) brought in $346 million. About 4,500 food and beverage jobs were supported by the World Cup, the report found.

But but but: The increase in spending during the World Cup and other summer events could lead to a bit of a fall slowdown, NRF Chief Economist Mark Mathews warned earlier this summer. Real estate software company MRI Software noted August foot traffic across US downtowns and malls were down 3.2% month over month as the momentum from summer events regulates.