High street under siege as COVID-19 hastens shift online | Business | China Daily
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High street under siege as COVID-19 hastens shift online By Bo Leung in London Tuesday, January 12, 2021, 15:05 By Bo Leung in London A man wearing a face mask walks past a shop window that advertises a store closing sale in Oxford Street, central London, Jan 7, 2021. Sales ahead of store closures, such as this scene in Oxford Street, reflect the pressure on retailers as quiet London streets resulting from a third lockdown make for a bleak start to the year. […] The high street and retail sector must catch up with the pace of change in order to survive and British retailers will need to keep innovating and investing in their stores, said Karl McKeever, a retail analyst and director of retail agency Visual Thinking READ MORE: COVID-19, Brexit hand Johnson drubbing in recent opinion poll In 2010, internet purchases amounted to 6.6 percent of all purchases with food at 2.5 percent and nonfood at 5.5 percent. […] McKeever said those retailers that have managed to stay afloat developed strong brands and stores had built on that success. […] He added that the high street and retail sector must catch up with the pace of change in order to survive and British retailers will need to keep innovating and investing in their stores.
