You may have never visited one of their stores and probably up until a few years ago you might not even have heard of them but Ollie’s Bargain Outlet has emerged as one of the most interesting players in the off-price retail sector. And now a new Yelp survey based on its data shows Ollie’s as the “Fastest Growing Brand” in the retail and restaurant space.
“Ollie’s Bargain Outlet takes the No. 1 spot, with a whopping 212% increase in consumer interest and 25 new store openings in 2024,” according to Yelp, which ranks these brands on consumer interest and business expansion.
In fact the entire value and discount sector experienced significant growth according to Yelp’s criteria, with searches through its app up 82 percent for dollar stores, 46 percent for discount stores and 18 percent for outlets.
Yelp reported that after Ollies, the three fastest-growing brands were Dollar Tree (24% increase in consumer interest), HomeGoods (38% increase) and Rally House (43% increase). Ranking next, as a bit of an outlier was the bakery chain Nothing Bundt Cakes, which showed a 32% increase.
Other general merchandise retailers receiving high marks included Ace Hardware, Costco, TJ Maxx and Marshalls. Two grocery chains, H-E-B and Grocery Outlet also finished in the top ten, Yelp said.
Yelp said its data showed that Ollie's, Dollar Tree and Home Goods were praised for their affordability and customer service. “Ollie's, in particular, stood out for the courtesy of its staff, which has become a hallmark of the brand’s identity. This focus on customer experience, coupled with competitive pricing, has generated substantial consumer enthusiasm and loyalty,” according to a report on the findings.
To identify the Fastest Growing Brands, Yelp ranked brands using a blended and weighted metric including net new business openings, consumer interest and searches on Yelp in 2024 compared to 2023.