Manhattan’s Empty Storefronts Multiply With Workers Staying Home

The number of empty storefronts is surging in midtown Manhattan, where an absence of tourists and office workers has hammered the retail industry during the pandemic.

Nearly 30% of 311 storefronts were vacant in the retail corridors near Grand Central and Midtown East as of the end of September, roughly double the historical rate, according to a report Thursday from the Real Estate Board of New York.