A hero, as defined by Webster’s dictionary, is “a mythological or legendary figure endowed with great strength or ability, an illustrious warrior, a person admired for noble qualities or one who shows great courage.”
It’s estimated that 100,000 stores in the U.S could close by 2025. Yet, even with these grim projections, the tone in the media and amongst retailers and brands over the last week has appeared to shift slightly from dire to determined.
COVID-19 has presented unique challenges and unprecedented circumstances for brands, but if we look carefully at the trajectory of the industry prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, it appears that the outcome, save for the tragic cost in human lives, is not that dissimilar from the retail future we would have eventually found ourselves in.