Common unofficial retailer combinations in your area

[jeffandnicole]

What about hotels? Mid-range companies like Hilton and Mariott often seem to develop two or three hotels under different names (often one extended-stay property and one lower-tier property) that share parking lots and sometimes other facilities like pools and lobbies. Some common ones that I've seen more than once are Hampton/Home2Suites and Hampton/Homewood Suites on the Hilton side and Courtyard/Residence Inn and TownePlace/Springhill on the Marriott side. 

They are the same parent corporation though.  Hilton and Hampton are the same and so are Courtyard and Residence Inns.

Many hotels are owned by franchisees, and those franchisees often have similar hotels by competing companies.  So it's also not unusual to see competing hotels next to each other, such as a Courtyard by Marriott and a Hampton Inn by Hilton, to grab the business of loyal travelers to either brand.

[JMoses24]

Here in Oklahoma City (and I'm sure other places as well), Hobby Lobby is almost always located very near a Chick-Fil-A. Both being Christian owned businesses, this is logical, as both are closed Sundays.

[ftballfan]

Family Dollar and Dollar General. Go to almost any decent town in South Carolina and you'll see both near each other.

Fife Lake, MI has a Family Dollar on one corner and Dollar General is going in on the opposite corner. Nearby Mesick has Family Dollar and Dollar General right next to each other.

Save-a-Lot and Family Dollar are right next to each other in Manistee and Newaygo.

[allniter89]

Sams & Lowes are often adjacent

[Bruce]

Also note that when Dollar Tree opens up on a mal with a supermarket, they are forbidden to sell frozen foods and some other room temperature items for the supermarkets do not want to lose business to the smaller stores. I thought that was unconstitutional as our nation is based upon free enterprise and should not be told by a larger store what you should or should not sell.

That's not the case with the ones in my area. It must vary based on the property owner/manager or the supermarket chain.

[Scott5114]

Here in Oklahoma City (and I'm sure other places as well), Hobby Lobby is almost always located very near a Chick-Fil-A. Both being Christian owned businesses, this is logical, as both are closed Sundays.

There's often a Mardel nearby too, because it's Hobby Lobby's explicitly Christian-oriented arm.

[kphoger]

Here in Oklahoma City (and I'm sure other places as well), Hobby Lobby is almost always located very near a Chick-Fil-A. Both being Christian owned businesses, this is logical, as both are closed Sundays.

There's often a Mardel nearby too, because it's Hobby Lobby's explicitly Christian-oriented arm.

On Wichita's east side, there is a Mardel on the opposite quadrant of a large interchange from a Hobby Lobby, but the Mardel moved in quite recently, and it's a rather built-up area.  Also, Hobby Lobby relocated there from a different location.  There is no CFA nearby either location.  It is the only Mardel in town.

On the west side, CFA is a mile away from Hobby Lobby, across an ocean of strip malls, restaurants, and all kinds of stores.

In neighboring Derby, CFA is in front of Hobby Lobby.  The restaurant is in the middle of a row of restaurants, and the store is in the middle of a row of large stores.  So I don't know if it's just coincidental or done that way on purpose.

[Bluenoser]

In Canada, Tim Horton's and Wendy's tend to locate together.
.

Wendy's owned Tim Hortons for several years, before selling it to the owners of Burger King. There are Tims combos with both in my area...Tims/Wendy's here in Amherst. and a Tims/BK across the border in Sackville. NB (previously a Tims/Wendy's before Wendy's moved out, that end was vacant to about 2 years ago when BK moved in).

[doorknob60]

GameStop and Walmart are always next to each other around Boise. The only GameStop (in Boise, Garden City, Meridian, Nampa, and Caldwell) that's not within 1/2 mile of a Walmart (often in the same parking lot) is the one inside the mall.

I can't think of any other obvious patterns around Boise, though I'm sure there are some. Well actually, many Albertsons parking lots have a Stinker Sinclair gas station in them, but that's because they used to be Albertsons Express then they sold them all to Stinker, so that doesn't really count. Also, stuff like having McDonalds in Jacksons gas stations or Starbucks or US Bank inside Albertsons or Fred Meyer doesn't really count either IMO.

[kphoger]

GameStop and Walmart

Three of the seven Game Stop locations in the Wichita area are in front of a Wal-Mart.

[Konza]

Also note that when Dollar Tree opens up on a mal with a supermarket, they are forbidden to sell frozen foods and some other room temperature items for the supermarkets do not want to lose business to the smaller stores. I thought that was unconstitutional as our nation is based upon free enterprise and should not be told by a larger store what you should or should not sell.

Also many Baskin Robbin Ice Cream Stores are inside a Dunkin Donuts in Florida.

Not unconstitutional in any way.  The supermarket is the big dog, and its agreement with the shopping center owner can contain any restrictions against other businesses that the two can agree to.  It is not uncommon for tenants in shopping centers to have exclusivity clauses (that forbid the landlord from leasing to a direct competitor) in their lease agreements, either.

Baskin-Robbins and Dunkin' Donuts are subsidiaries of the same company- Dunkin' Brands.

[Scott5114]

Also note that when Dollar Tree opens up on a mal with a supermarket, they are forbidden to sell frozen foods and some other room temperature items for the supermarkets do not want to lose business to the smaller stores. I thought that was unconstitutional as our nation is based upon free enterprise and should not be told by a larger store what you should or should not sell.

Also many Baskin Robbin Ice Cream Stores are inside a Dunkin Donuts in Florida.

Not unconstitutional in any way.  The supermarket is the big dog, and its agreement with the shopping center owner can contain any restrictions against other businesses that the two can agree to.  It is not uncommon for tenants in shopping centers to have exclusivity clauses (that forbid the landlord from leasing to a direct competitor) in their lease agreements, either.

Some of my friends that own a board game cafe ran into this when they were trying to move their location. They found the perfect space that had previously been leased by a defunct bar-and-grill type restaurant. But they were unable to get a lease because a hot dog restaurant in the same shopping center objected to another "restaurant" moving in, despite the fact that a board game cafe is clearly not shooting for the same customer base as a hot dog restaurant, and that there had previously been a restaurant occupying the space.

Baskin-Robbins and Dunkin' Donuts are subsidiaries of the same company- Dunkin' Brands.

I was really hoping this was leading up to the parent company being called Dunkin-Robbins.

[ftballfan]

In Ludington, GameStop is in a plaza in front of Walmart.
In Ypsilanti, GameStop is in a plaza adjacent to Walmart.

[renegade]

In Ludington, GameStop is in a plaza in front of Walmart.
In Ypsilanti, GameStop is in a plaza adjacent to Walmart.

Not anymore.

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2020/03/walmart-supercenter-in-ypsilanti-township-to-close.html

[hbelkins]

Around here, you'll see a lot of Lowe's and Walmart in the same center.

[ilpt4u]

Target/Kohls

Yes, I've noticed that too.

I've noticed Target/Best Buy more.  My town has a Target but no Kohl's (or Best Buy either).  Three mall areas near me have a Best Buy either in or near the mall and a Target within a mile.  There's also a retail strip with a Target and Best Buy separated by about a half a mile both on the same side of the road.  Seeing they're both Minnesota based, I often wondered if they were owned by the same company.

My town has a Best Buy and a Kohl's, but no Target. Gotta head over to Marion for Target, but they have no Best Buy nor Kohl's there

[bing101]

In parts of California Jollibee (Filipino Fast food outlet) tends to be next door with Seafood City Supermarket.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seafood_City

[Bruce]

In parts of California Jollibee (Filipino Fast food outlet) tends to be next door with Seafood City Supermarket.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seafood_City

Same with the sole outlet in Washington at Southcenter Mall.

[ftballfan]

In Ludington, GameStop is in a plaza in front of Walmart.
In Ypsilanti, GameStop is in a plaza adjacent to Walmart.

Not anymore.

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2020/03/walmart-supercenter-in-ypsilanti-township-to-close.html

I completely missed that! Went in that store once and found it to be dirty and run-down. There's Mejier and Target two miles to the west and four Krogers within five miles of it, not to mention a much better looking Walmart around five miles to the southwest along Michigan Avenue.

[Flint1979]

In Ludington, GameStop is in a plaza in front of Walmart.
In Ypsilanti, GameStop is in a plaza adjacent to Walmart.

Saginaw Township's Walmart has a Game Stop in a plaza across from it too.

[andrepoiy]

I've noticed that many Esso gas stations (Esso is Canadian Exxon) have Tim Hortons in them.

[RobbieL2415]

Many Citgos here have Dunkin Donuts and Subway.

[jp the roadgeek]

In Ludington, GameStop is in a plaza in front of Walmart.
In Ypsilanti, GameStop is in a plaza adjacent to Walmart.

Saginaw Township's Walmart has a Game Stop in a plaza across from it too.

I can think of a couple of instances in CT of GameStop being in the same strip mall as Walmart (Hartford, Rocky Hill, and Southington come to mind).

[ari-s-drives]

I may be imagining it, but near me and on a lot of the I-5 corridor in the Central Valley there are a lot of Starbucks located near McDonalds.

[dlsterner]

I've noticed that many Esso gas stations (Esso is Canadian Exxon) have Tim Hortons in them.

I remember (going back several decades) when stations were branded as "Esso" in most of the US and as "Enco" in a few other parts of the US before they were re-branded as "Exxon" (around 1973 I think).
So, rather than "Esso is Canadian Exxon", you might say "Exxon is USA Esso"

Not picking on you, just showing a fun factoid.