Summary

Product Overview

In our 2026 North America Retail Store Chain Sizing with POS/mPOS study we evaluate 13 retail POS solutions by specific market, assessing POS opportunities & store count — both large and small.

There is no one size fits all for retail and for solutions. The needs differ by retailers size, by subsegment, and even by region. This research for 2026 allows you to size and target the largest specific market opportunities, finding those most ripe for growth opportunities. The information starts by looking at the entire ecosystem, the number of stores, the size of stores and then the type of store technology used. This product is ideal for vendors or private equity that are looking to understand if a market is large enough and what the indirect channel opportunities provide. This is quantitative analysis and is best used in conjunction with the regional POS Terminal Studies. And we have this information available for other regions.

Each regional SMB study breaks out the market in great detail so that you can specifically target growing niche’s in the retail and hospitality market. It provides POS and POS Software sizing along with optional EFT/POS sizing options (how many use signature capture versus PIN/Debit versus embedded payment software). The data is broken down into the following segments:

• Food/Grocery
• Drug Stores/Pharmacies
• Hypermarkets/Supercenters/Warehouse Clubs
• Department Stores
• Mass Merchants and Discounters
• Specialty Hard Goods (DIY, Electronics, Books, Furniture, Sporting Goods, etc)
• Specialty Soft Goods (Apparel, Shoes, Leather Goods, etc.)
• Fast Food
• Bar/Table Service Restaurants
• Lodging
• Entertainment – Casinos and Cruises
• Entertainment – Stadiums, Museums, Theme Parks

Highlights

Each regional SMB study breaks out the market in great detail so that you can specifically target growing niche’s in the retail and hospitality market. It provides POS and POS Software sizing along with optional EFT/POS sizing options (how many use signature capture versus PIN/Debit versus embedded payment software).

The data is broken down into the following segments:

Food/Grocery Drug Stores/Pharmacies Hypermarkets/Supercenters/Warehouse Clubs Department Stores Mass Merchants and Discounters Specialty Hard Goods (DIY, Electronics, Books, Furniture, Sporting Goods, etc) Specialty Soft Goods (Apparel, Shoes, Leather Goods, etc.) Fast Food Bar/Table Service Restaurants Lodging Entertainment – Casinos and Cruises Entertainment – Stadiums, Museums, Theme Parks

In addition, the data is broken out by the following size of retailers:

1 Store Companies 2-9 Store Chains 10-49 Store Chains 50-100 Store Chains 101-300 Store Chains 301-500 Store Chains 501-1,000 Store Chains Over 1,000 Store Chains

For each of the segments and sizes we have the following information:

# stores # of Companies that make up those stores Average # of Cash Points (where tender is taken) Average sofware license paid Total number of Cash Points in that segment/size How many of those cash points are nothing but a wallet verses ECR, Traditional POS or PC on a Cash Drawer.

The information includes the installed base as well as the shipments for the last two years and a forecast for the year forward.

FAQs

What does IHL’s North America Retail Chain Sizing report cover and who uses it?

IHL Group’s North America Retail Store Location Chain Sizing is a comprehensive database of chain-level retail locations in the United States and Canada. It covers 12 retail segments, including grocery, mass merchant, specialty apparel, consumer electronics, home improvement, pharmacy/drug, convenience, department store, home furnishings, sporting goods, toy/hobby, and entertainment, and counts every chain with 2 or more locations. The primary buyers are retail technology vendors building TAM models, investors sizing market opportunity, and retail operators benchmarking competitive footprint

Does IHL’s North America study include both national chains and regional operators?

Yes. IHL’s North America Retail Chain Sizing database tracks store locations spanning the United States and Canada across 12 retail segments, covering chains from 2 locations to thousands of locations. The count includes both national chains and significant regional operators, which matters for technology vendors whose sales motion covers regional accounts, not just the top-100 retailers. This breadth distinguishes IHL’s North American data from competitor counts that focus only on the largest national operators and miss the middle market.

What is the North American retail entertainment segment and why is it included?

Unlike most retail chain sizing studies that stop at traditional merchandise segments, IHL’s North America report includes an entertainment segment capturing chain-operated entertainment retail locations such as gaming, media, and experience-based retail. This inclusion reflects IHL’s view that technology decisions in entertainment retail parallel traditional retail: POS systems, inventory management, loss prevention, and customer engagement platforms are deployed in entertainment chains using the same vendor ecosystem. For vendors with cross-vertical offerings, this segment represents incremental TAM that competing datasets typically exclude.

How does IHL update the North America chain sizing data and what format is it delivered in?

The North America Retail Store Location Chain Sizing report is delivered as a PDF and updated annually. IHL Group’s research team tracks retail expansions, closures, acquisitions, and new market entrants throughout the year to ensure each annual edition reflects the current operating footprint of North American retail. The $5,395 price covers all 12 segments and both the United States and Canada in a single document, structured for immediate use in sales planning, investor presentations, and strategic market assessments.