City center shops and malls may have lost their luster during the COVID-19 pandemic, but as lockdowns ease across Europe many stores in and around residential areas stand to benefit as consumers remain reluctant to venture far from home.
While retail sales appear to be rebounding, shoppers are increasingly staying local, leaving Europe’s most renowned shopping districts from London’s West End to Berlin’s Kurfürstendamm struggling in the absence of office workers and tourists.
A recent rebound in sales as lockdowns have eased has also not been as robust as retailers might have hoped for.
Fashion and footwear are so far the most affected retailers, with spring and, in some countries, summer collections gone to waste in lockdown.
Clothing and footwear sales surged 70% in Britain in June from May but remained 35% below pre-pandemic levels, data released on Friday showed, Reuters reported.
In countries like Spain and Portugal still facing partial or regional lockdowns, due to localised coronavirus outbreaks, movement around retail and recreation spaces such as shopping centers as well as restaurants and cafes remains 20% below pre-lockdown levels, Google mobility data shows.
