A transformative 2020 has elevated the role of the customer in monumental ways, accelerating any preexisting imperatives that ladder up to business growth.
As e-commerce has accelerated, so had the demand for warehouse space. According to a report from CBRE, nearly 14 million square feet of big-box retail space in the U.S. has been converted to industrial space.
The concept of a healthy building isn’t new but has become increasingly relevant topic as retailers look to create healthier, safer and more differentiated shopping experiences.
Richard Armour, senior VP, e-commerce at The Michaels Companies, recently spoke with Chain Store Age about how the leading arts and crafts retailer quickly developed and introduced a wide variety of omnichannel offerings as COVID-19 necessitated store closings.
Under the pandemic’s ongoing public health and economic impact, retailers are being challenged to do everything possible to lower the risk of COVID-19 transmission in their indoor shopping areas and work environments.
Confounding dour predictions of soggy holiday sales — and defying COVID headwinds — America’s resilient shoppers drove the November-December holiday period to a record-breaking $768 billion in sales, a remarkable 8.6% leap from last year’s $707 billion.
Despite the arrival of the vaccine, we expect the first half of 2021 to reflect a continuation of 2020’s acceleration toward digital and omnichannel as most shoppers remain at home.
Major United States metros have taken a huge hit from COVID-19. To get a view on the street in New York, we went to Ron Dickerman, the founder and president of Madison International Realty.
