Vermont

  • Ben and Jerrys Factory - Waterbury, VT

  • Church Street Marketplace - Burlington, VT

  • Lake Champlain - Burlington, VT

  • University of Vermont - Burlington, VT

  • Woodstock Inn - Woodstock, VT

  • Vermont State House - Montpelier, VT

The Retail Market

The one true regional retail market in the state of Vermont is greater Burlington. This consists primarily of the adjacent municipalities of Burlington, South Burlington and Williston. University Mall serves as the only enclosed regional mall in the state but it is far from a dominant retail property that you would expect from the state’s only enclosed regional mall. This is due not only to the age of the property but also to the fact that there is very little large and mid-size box retail adjacent to the mall. Almost all big box retail is located in Williston, in the southern portion of the market,  at the Route 2A exit with I-89.

Additionally, Church Street Marketplace is a thriving retail and dining district in downtown Burlington consisting of a pedestrian mall for four blocks along Church Street between Main and Pearl Streets. The district is known for its’ historic buildings, street entertainers, music and year round festivals. With a back drop of Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains, combined with the college town atmosphere from the nearby campus of the University of Vermont, downtown Burlington is one of the most vibrant organic street retail scenes anywhere. Add to this that there is a full line Macy’s department store in downtown Burlington that is tangential to the Church Street Marketplace and it becomes clear why University Mall is not dominant in the marketplace.

The only other community retail corridors in the greater Burlington market are north of Burlington in Colchester at the Route 2 exit with I-89 and the Route 7 corridor in South Burlington.

The other market in the state which has a concentration of regional retail is Rutland. Although no significant enclosed mall exists in the market there is a reasonable presence of big and mid-size boxes to give Rutland a regional trade area.

The town of Manchester is a quintessential New England village that has become one of the strongest outlet shopping destinations in the northeast. Over 40 high end outlet retailers are housed in authentically restored original Vermont structures. Manchester is also home to the renowned Equinox Golf Resort and Spa as well as the Orvis Fly Fishing and Wingshooting School. This combination, along with local farm to table restaurants, make Manchester one of the more high end destinations in Vermont.

The only other concentrations of retail in the state are in Bennington, Montpelier / Berlin and Brattleboro which serve as community retail corridors.

Grocery operators in Vermont include Shaw’s, Hannaford, Price Chopper, Tops, Aldi, Trader Joe’s, and Walmart Supercenter.

Best Buy - Willistion, VT

Dicks Sporting Goods - Williston, VT

The Economy

Vermont’s major employment industries are tourism, manufacturing and agriculture. Although tourism is what Vermont is best known for, manufacturing is the industry that provides the most stable year round employment. Areas of concentration include precision instruments / specialty metal products, defense / aerospace, and plastics.

The other areas of manufacturing that are prevalent are those that are related to Vermont’s natural resources. Whether wood that is harvested from trees and converted to paper or furniture, sap from maple trees made into maple syrup and candies; or marble, granite, limestone and slate are all quarried and finished into architectural products for homes and commercial buildings; these natural resource products have been manufactured in Vermont for centuries and continue today to be a strong component of Vermont’s economy. Agriculture is heavily focused on the dairy industry. The best known agricultural brand in Vermont is the Cabot brand of premium cheeses that are sold throughout the United States. Headquartered in Cabot, Vermont, The Cabot Creamery Co-Operative is owned by over 1,000 small dairy farmers and allows small farmers to thrive by tapping into the power of the incredibly successful co-operative.

Vermont is also known for its’ strong “cottage industries”. These are small businesses, typically started out of someone’s house or garage, that produce a specialty product that ends up with a loyal following. Many of these cottage industries in Vermont remain small but still account for a beneficial employment sector. Others grow to be large and very successful concerns.  Examples of cottage industries in Vermont that have grown into recognizable names include Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, Vermont Teddy Bear Company, Burton Snowboards and King Arthur Flour Company.

The Burlington area, being home to the University of Vermont and St. Michaels College, along with its low cost of living, proximity to first class ski resorts and being located on Lake Champaign; has become very appealing to a young and educated population. This has enabled Burlington to attract a number of technology related companies and this trend seems to be growing. Once a large base of employment for IBM, the IBM downsizing in Burlington during the early 2000’s left a talented high tech employment base that was not interested in leaving the lifestyle they had come to love in Burlington. This led to not only new tech companies coming into Burlington to take advantage of this talent glut but also to the formation of new companies by these former IBM employees that have since become successful companies on their own.  In 2015 Global Foundries, the second largest semiconductor manufacturer in the World, purchased the IBM plant in Burlington assuring a stable high tech anchor for the Burlington region. Global Foundries in Burlington is the largest private employer in the state of Vermont.

Middlebury College - Middlebury, VT

Area colleges and enrollment

University of Vermont Burlington 12,100
Norwich University Northfield 3,100
Middlebury College Middlebury 2,500
St. Michael’s College Colchester 2,400
Champlain College Burlington 2,200
Castleton University Castleton 1,900
Johnson State College Johnson 1,500
Lyndon State College Lyndonville 1,200
Benington College Bennington 800
Green Mountain College Poultney 800
Marlboro College Brattleboro 450
Vermont College of Fine Arts Montpelier 400
Southern Vermont College Bennington 400
Vermont Law School South Royalton 380
College of St. Joseph Rutland 300
     
TOTAL   30,430

 

King Arthur Flour Headquarters - Norwich, VT

Major Employers

Global Foundries Computer Chips Essex Junction
Keurig Green Mountain Coffee Products Waterbury / Williston / South Burlington/ Essex
GE Aviation Aircraft Engines Rutland
Dealer.com Digital Marketing Technology for Auto Dealerships Burlington
National Life Group HQ – Financial Services Montpelier
Mylan Technologies Biomed- Transdermal Pharmaceutical Patches St. Albans / Swanton
C&S Wholesale Grocers Distribution Center – Grocery Products Brattleboro
King Arthur Flour Co. Baking Flour White River Junction / Wilder / Norwich
GW Plastics Plastic and Silicone Injection Molding Contract Manufacturer Bethel/Royalton
Brattleboro Retreat Psychiatric Hospital Brattleboro
Ben & Jerry’s HQ – Ice Cream South Burlington / Waterbury / St. Albans
DXC Technology Information Technology Services Burlington
Vermont Teddy Bear Co. HQ – Teddy Bears Shelburne
Ethan Allen Furniture- Manufacturer Orleans
Revision Military HQ – Soldier Protective Systems Essex Junction / Newport
NSK Steering Systems Automotive Steering Systems and Components Bennington
 Husky Injection Molding Systems Injection Molding Equipment Milton
G.S. Precision Specialty Machined Metal Products Brattleboro
Cabot Creamery Co-Operative HQ – Food Producer – Dairy Products Cabot
GE Healthcare Software – Medical South Burlington
Burton Snowboards HQ – Snowboarding Equipment and Clothing Burlington
NSA Industries Precision Metal Machining and Fabrication Saint Johnsbury / Lydonville
Mack Molding HQ – Injection Molding and Metal Fabrication – Contract Manufacturer Arlington / Cavendish
Sonnax Drive-train Components Bellows Falls
Energizer Hearing Aid Batteries Bennington
Biotek HQ – Biomed – Life Science Instrumentation Winooski
Vermont Composites (Kaman) Composite Materials for Aerospace, Medical and Industrial Bennington
Hubbarton Forge Handcrafted Metal Forged Lighting Fixtures Castleton
Rock of Ages Granite Quarry and Finishing Graniteville
Lane Press Magazine Printer South Burlington
Gardener’s Supply Company Catalogue and E-Retailer – Gardening Products Burlington
Food Science Corporation Nutritional Supplements for Humans and Animals Williston
The Vermont Country Store Catalogue and E-Retailer – General Merchandise Manchester / North Claredon
Orvis HQ – Multi Channel Retailer – Fishing and Hunting Manchester
Velan Valve Industrial Valve Williston
Vermont Aerospace Industries Aerospace and Defense Components Lydonville
Twin Craft Skincare Soap and Skincare Products – Contract Manufacturer Winooski
Global Sourcing Group Cloud Based Telecom Burlington
NewsBank Online Research Technology Chester
Dynapower Electric Power Conversion Technologies South Burlington
Simon Pearce HQ – Handcrafted Custom Glassware and Pottery Quechee
UTC Aerospace Systems Aerospace Systems and Components Vergennes
Vermont Mutual HQ – Insurance – Property & Casualty Montpelier
Blodgett Commercial Food Ovens Burlington
Tivoly Machine Tool Accessories Derby Line
Catamount Color Printing and Direct Mail Serivces Essex
Allscripts Software- Medical South Burlington
Carris Reels HQ – Reels for the Wire and Cable Industry Proctor / Rutland
Cersosimo Lumber Lumber Mill Brattleboro
WestRock Missiquoi Paper Mill – Paperboard Sheldon
Superior Technical Ceramics Ceramics for Aerospace, Petrochem & Semiconductors St. Albans
Bernstein Display Mannequins Shaftsbury
Farrell Distributing Wholesaler – Beverages, Beer & Wine Rutland / South Burlington
Country Home Products Power Equipment for Landscaping and Gardening Vergennes
Tom’s of Maine Personal Care Products Putney
Putney Paper Paper Mill – Tissue, Paper Towels, Napkins Putney
Northern Power Systems HQ – Wind Turbines Barre
Rhino Foods Ice Cream Products Burlington
Fiber Mark Paper Mill – Paper and Paperboard for packaging Brattleboro
Pajamagram Pajamas Shelburne

 

More Than Just Skiing

Once only known as a winter tourist market, Vermont is now a year round destination. The winter tourist season is driven by the fact that Vermont has the best ski mountains in the northeast, as has always been the case. What has changed over the last several decades is that these great ski areas, through tremendous investments in both their ski and non-ski assets, have transformed themselves into resorts with a range of amenities that drive tourist traffic all year. The variety of amenities’ include exclusive golf courses, resort style pools, world class spa facilities, dining facilities that range from family friendly to high end local chefs. Add to this tennis facilities, mountain bike parks, zip lines, bungee jumping, trail running, nature hikes, paddle boarding, kayaking, fishing, endurance obstacle courses, motorized mountain tours, and water park rides along with the best fall foliage in the country and you have activities that drive tourist traffic every month of the year.

Traditional ski areas such as Killington, Stowe, Jay Peak, Stratton, Mount Snow, Mad River Glen, Sugarbush, Smugglers Notch and Okemo have all successfully made this transition. Organized events are held throughout the state in the spring, summer and fall months for running, road biking, mountain biking, triathlons  and obstacle racing.

Forty percent of the tourists visiting Vermont are from the large population centers in Massachusetts and New York, with 50% of the tourists traveling to the state from outside of New England and New York. The majority are coming to visit with large discretionary income. Although winter (December – March) is still the strongest single tourist season with 40% of the market, summer (June – August) and fall (September – November) now each account for 25% of the market. A dramatic change from when tourists only thought of Vermont as a winter destination.

The Geography

Population

Vermont Population 628,000
Claremont – Lebanon, NH – VT MSA  219,000 
Grafton County, NH 89,000
Windham County, VT 57,000
Sullivan County, NH 44,000
Orange County, VT 28,000
Burlington, VT MSA
212,000
Chittenden County 157,000
Franklin County 48,000
Grande Isle County 7,000
Rutland, VT MSA 62,000
Rutland County 62,000
Barre/Montpelier, VT MSA 60,000
Washington County 60,000
Bennington, VT MSA 37,000
Bennington County 37,000
Berlin, NH – VT MSA 39,000
Coos County, NH 33,000
Essex County, VT 6,000
Unaffiliated Counties 165,000
Windham County 45,000
Addison County 37,000
Caledonia County 31,000
Orleans County 27,000
Lamoille County 25,000
Total Population 750,000
Less New Hampshire Counties 166,000
Grafton County 89,000
Sullivan County 44,000
Coos County 33,000