“In North America, shoppers have returned,” says Jim Scarpone, director, Shawmut Design and Construction (New York). He has good reason to be optimistic; Shawmut was named the largest retail construction firm in 2013 by Building Design + Construction magazine.

Scarpone points to new malls and retailers in Salt Lake City, Washington’s CityCenterDC, the Miami Design District, and the World Trade Center and Brookfield Place in New York, along with expansion plans by fast-fashion giants H&M and Uniqlo, whose leaders plan to open at least 20 new stores in the U.S. this year.

Read the full article for design salaries, same-store sales, growth by sector – and finding hope for 2014 here.