Tag: coronavirus

January 6, 2021

Outside line monitoring, reservations, time limits and mobile checkout are some ways retailers have been managing customer queues during the pandemic. Lines outside grocers and big boxes seen at the beginning of the pandemic are expected to return in many […]

December 23, 2020

In the spring, cheers, claps and clanging pots and pans rung out every night in cities at 7 p.m. in a show of thanks for essential workers. The label not only described doctors and nurses tending to Covid-19 patients, but […]

December 22, 2020

Purchases made online accounted for up to 70 per cent of sales at John Lewis this year, as the retailer reported back on its Shop, Live, Look consumer report for 2020. Examining customer trends in the past 12 months, John […]

December 18, 2020

For nursing homes across the country, the coronavirus pandemic has been especially marked by isolation, illness and loss. On Friday, CVS Health and Walgreens are beginning to offer Covid-19 vaccinations for residents and staff at those long-term care facilities, making […]

December 15, 2020

Amazon is being forced by California’s attorney general to provide information as part of an investigation into its worker safety conditions during the pandemic. Xavier Becerra, who is in line to become US secretary of health and human services under […]

December 14, 2020

With the FDA’s emergency approval late Friday of a vaccine co-developed by Pfizer, the nation is now counting on retail to help execute the nation’s most ambitious vaccination campaign in history. The first doses are expected to start reaching frontline […]

December 10, 2020

It’s no surprise that online sales have been higher than ever before during the 2020 holiday shopping season — especially on Black Friday and Cyber Monday — while in-store traffic fell by 52 percent compared to 2019. Although the demand […]

December 8, 2020

COVID-19 introduced a unique set of challenges that forced retailers to squeeze years’ worth of digital transformation into a matter of weeks. Advanced capabilities like buy online pick up in-store (BOPIS), ecommerce, apps that help navigate stores and outdoor pop-up […]

December 7, 2020

New restrictions imposed by governors throughout the United States, because of the recent resurgence of the coronavirus, makes the present holiday selling period very uncertain. Store managements do not know how many store units will actually be able to serve […]

December 1, 2020

More than eight months have passed since the coronavirus emerged as a global threat to public health and safety that has sickened nearly 59 million people, killing nearly 1.4 million of those infected. The next few months will see likely […]

November 24, 2020

Best Buy’s third-quarter earnings soared past Wall Street’s expectations, but shares dropped Tuesday as the retailer warned of headwinds from higher shipping costs, inventory challenges and lower-margin holiday sales. The retailer declined to provide an outlook for the fourth quarter […]

November 23, 2020

Walgreens is the latest drugstore giant to promise its customers access to Covid-19 vaccines once available as large chains and independent pharmacies prepare to do their part to address the pandemic. Drugstore chains are beginning to ramp up marketing of […]

November 19, 2020

Macy’s on Thursday reported a quarterly same-store sales decline of more than 20%, as consumers cut back their spending on clothes and accessories at America’s department stores during the coronavirus pandemic. The results, which come a week ahead of key […]

November 19, 2020

National brands in recent months have been outperforming private label brands for the first time in years, but new trial and online expansion are expected to be among the factors helping store brands regain momentum. Simple availability or lack of […]

November 17, 2020

Kohl’s on Tuesday reported a 13.3% decline in quarterly net sales, as the coronavirus pandemic limited the number of people visiting its stores to buy work clothes, shoes and makeup. Still, CEO Michelle Gass said the results exceeded Kohl’s internal […]

November 16, 2020

Costco, among the first retailers to require face masks upon entry in early May, has taken its restrictions a step further by mandating that customers with medical mask exemptions wear face shields. The requirement applies to employees, as well. The […]

November 16, 2020

One of the world’s biggest retailers will open pop-up ecommerce distribution centres this year in order to fulfil home delivery orders. In a blog posted on the company’s website, the discount retailer announced it is taking space in 42 of […]

November 6, 2020

Lego’s campaign, which is part of the brand’s “Rebuild the World” effort, celebrates how the creativity inspired by its construction sets can inspire adventures, even when consumers are stuck at home. Holiday celebrations are expected to be particularly muted this […]

November 6, 2020

Amazon Prime Day 2020, by many accounts, appears to have been a smashing success. Amazon broke third-party sales records, and e-commerce overall did quite well across the board. On the surface, it looks like all boats rose with the tide, […]

November 4, 2020

Grocery shopping has settled into a rhythm since the tumultuous early days of the novel coronavirus pandemic. A newly released study shows, however, that a significant risk remains for employees, which could have implications for grocers and shoppers as the […]