While mall traffic was recently up 80% from 2020 numbers, and even higher than 2019 numbers (in some areas for Simon Property Group), the rapidly increasing spread of the COVID Delta variant, coupled with impending mask mandates similar to what we saw in 2020, means that the expected retail boom of 2021 will likely fall short.
- With the spread of Delta, Simon malls will be “masking up” where needed and “hopeful” that shoppers will get vaccinated.
- Citing various data, Simon’s CEO hopes to demonstrate that enclosed malls are not aligned with upticks in Florida COVID breakouts.
There’s a lot that we’re still learning about this new variant, but when it comes to COVID and public safety, what we can expect is a lot of messaging this way or that and ultimately, numbers heading down in public spaces such as malls and B&M retailers. How is your inventory holding up at the national, regional, DOOR and/or SKU-levels?
Accelerated Analytics’ retail reporting solution has continued to help retail manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors navigate turbulent waters and we can help your brand management team with detailed, yet easy-to-read POS reporting – talk to our team today for a demo.