The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a sharp economic toll on the retail industry worldwide as many retailers and shopping centers were forced to shut down for months due to mandated stay-at-home orders. As a result of these closures, online retailers received a major boost in sales as customers looked for alternative ways to shop and the effects of the retail apocalypse were exacerbated. A number of notable retailers filed for bankruptcy including Ascena Retail Group, Debenhams, Arcadia Group, Brooks Brothers, GNC, J. C. Penney, Lord & Taylor and Neiman Marcus.
Major retailers that closed since the pandemic began include Century 21, Lord & Taylor, and Fry's Electronics.
Africa
South Africa
Online retailer Amazon announced it would be adding 3,000 customer service jobs in South Africa to respond to increased demand in North America and Europe for Amazon products. Due to COVID-19, sales of tobacco and alcohol were prohibited under lockdown restrictions. Edcon put their retail brands Edgars, Jet, and Thank U up for auction and ceased to pay rents for its retail locations following lockdown restrictions as a result of limited sales due to lockdown restrictions. On August 3, South African based supermarket Shoprite announced it would be selling "all or a majority stake" of its Nigerian operations amidst a struggling economy.
Americas
Canada
During the month of April 2020 retail sales in Canada dropped 26.4% in a record decline for the second month in a row. On July 31, 2020 Chico's Canadian subsidiary filed for bankruptcy. In July 2020, DavidsTea announced it would close multiple stores amid the impact of the pandemic.
United States
The United States has had multiple closures attributed to the pandemic and the ensuing recession. As of August 3, 2020, 43 retailers based in the USA have filed for bankruptcy according to CNBC.
March 2020
In the weeks leading up to lockdowns, panic buying of products such as hand sanitizer, toilet paper, and canned foods led to shortages of these items nationwide. USA based Apple Inc. announced it would temporarily close all stores globally outside of China on March 14. On the same day, Urban Outfitters, Verizon, and T-Mobile all announced their intentions to temporarily close stores as well. The US's largest retailer, Walmart significantly reduced its hours across the nation. Known for its 24-hour store operations, the company initially announced the stores would be open from 6 am to 11 pm on March 14. However, on March 19, Walmart announced stores would be open from 7 am to 8:30 pm until further notice to allow employees time to clean and stock products. Westfield Group announced all 32 of their shopping mall properties would be temporarily closing on March 19 except for essential stores. CEO of Kroger, Rodney McMullen, announced that due to increased coronavirus demand, 10,000 job openings were available across their stores. The retail and entertainment complex American Dream faced a series of setbacks due to the pandemic. Initially scheduled for March 19, the grand opening of the complex was indefinitely delayed. Retailer GNC pulled out of the project following the pandemic, with other retailers like The Children's Place, Forever 21, and Victoria's Secret possibly withdrawing their plans as well. In June, contractors for the mall claimed they were owed $13 million for unpaid work. The mall would eventually open on October 1, 2020. GameStop received criticism for saying it was "an essential business" in states where only essential retailers were to stay open. On March 22, Gamestop closed its stores after outcry from employees. In March, Hobby Lobby left stores open even as many nonessential retailers shut down. The founder reportedly told his employees he had received a message from God that informed his decision to keep stores open. On March 31, Walmart announced it would supply its employees with masks and gloves and take employees' temperatures before shifts. Simon Property Group, the largest shopping mall operator in the United States, furloughed 30% of its staff on March 31.
April 2020
Shortly following Walmart's announcement for employees, on April 2, Lowe's and Target announced they would also be providing masks and gloves for their employees. Bloomberg News reported that nearly 1 million retail workers were furloughed by April 2. Macy's, Inc. was dropped from the S&P 500 on April 2. Retail sales fell 16.4% in a record drop during the month of April.