Wrecking Ball
Before, during, and after COVID-19, brick and mortar retailers have been suffering. Malls around the country are shutting down, and blue-chip giants like Amazon and Alibaba are taking over the global commerce market. To put the numbers into perspective Coresight Research reports that in 2020, 8,741 stores across the United States closed their doors. At first, this may seem just a symptom of the Pandemic, but when comparing this data to the number of stores that closed in 2019, 2020 still closed over 1,000 fewer stores. This indicates the trend of stores closing is a long-term trend that seems to show no signs of slowing down. In 2021 the on-net store count is even worse with just 4,000 new stores expected to open with 10,000 closings, a net loss of 6,000 stores.
Investors have already capitalized on this trend, in fact of the Hedge Funds who held short positions on GameStop, many cited a key factor being the decline in Brick & Mortar stores, and increasingly lost market share to digital options. But some stores won’t be going anywhere anytime soon as some companies like Target and Walmart have adapted their strategies to the changing world, increasing their online presence greatly and maintaining grocery options – something people are generally more likely to purchase in person.
Do you think big grocery stores will still be around in a decade or will e-commerce take over entirely?
I am not a financial advisor and my comments should never be taken as financial advice. Investments come with risk, so always do your research and analysis beforehand.
