EAST VILLAGE — The East Village has one of the highest numbers of chain stores citywide, according to an annual report.
The neighborhood’s 10003 zip code alone contains 163 chain stores — the third-highest number of national retailers citywide and the second-highest in the borough, according to the Center of Urban Future’s annual “State of the Chains” report.
Despite its ranking, the number of national retailers dropped slightly compared to last year, according to the report, when the zip code had a 164 stores. This year, the neighborhood, came in behind the Garment District/Koreatown and New Springville in Staten Island, which each had 175 or more chain stores.
Other nearby zip codes saw the number of chain stores jump in the past year, according to the report.
In 10009, which covers part of the East Village as well as Alphabet City, national retailers opened five new locations between 2014 and 2015, raising the count to 30 stores, or a 20 percent change.
The Lower East Side and Chinatown, located in zip code 10002, saw a 2 percent increase in the past year, with the opening of one new location, bringing the number of chain stores to 48.
Citywide, the number of chain stores continues to grow, although at a slower rate than previously recorded, the report said. Between 2014 and 2015, chain retailers grew just 1 percent, from 7,473 to 7,550 — a decline from the 2.5 percent increase the city saw from 2013 and 2014.
You can read the full “State of the Chains” report here.
