Is 'Second, the total amount of retail space in the United States has expanded dramatically, even while consumer expenditures on apparel items have declined as a share of total expenditures.' a fitting logical lead-up to 'There is a lot more retail space in the United States, even though the proportion of spending on apparel has decreased.'
Second, the total amount of retail space in the United States has expanded dramatically, even while consumer expenditures on apparel items have declined as a share of total expenditures.###There is a lot more retail space in the United States, even though the proportion of spending on apparel has decreased.