Retail’s Boom-and-Bust 2020, in 10 Charts
Toilet-paper shortages, big-chain bankruptcies and new stay-at-home shopping habits marked a singular year for an industry upended by the pandemic.
Pantry-loading by anxious shoppers emptied store shelves of toilet paper and other staples in the pandemic’s early days.
Photographer: Gareth Fuller - PA Images via Getty Images
The pandemic delivered a core-shaking shock to the consumer-goods industry, abruptly reshaping what people were buying where they were buying, and how they were buying. For some companies, it has led to deep damage that is still fully revealing itself. For others, it has created opportunity.
As 2020 comes to close, it’s worth reflecting on these changes and where they have left the sector heading into 2021. Here, 10 charts tell the tale: