The success of online retail over the past year of lockdowns is showcased by ASOS, the online fashion retailer, which has seen its active customer numbers rise from 1.5 million to 24.9 million in the six months to February. The impact of lockdowns on the high street has, on the other hand, been catastrophic. Eleven thousand shops in Britain closed last year alone and thousands more are expected to close in 2021. The Guardian has the story.
ASOS has more than tripled first-half profits to a record £106 million and raised full-year expectations as the online retailer continues to benefit from the pandemic.
Consumer trends accelerated by Covid had boosted trading, particularly in the UK and most of Europe, the company said, but it cautioned that the economic outlook was uncertain and shopping habits would change once clothing stores reopen next week.
While the reopening of “non-essential” shops next week will shift consumer attention from online to the high street, the continued imposition of rules on social distancing and mask-wearing will act as a brake on any recovery for the high street. ASOS said in a statement:
In the coming months we expect a portion of consumer demand will move back to stores as restrictions are eased throughout our markets, but we expect online penetration to remain structurally higher than pre-Covid levels.
The company’s recent performance is as follows:
Profits increased 253% year-on-year increase to £106.4 million in the six months to February 28th, as total group revenues climbed 24% to £1.97 billion.
Asos put a number on the amount of profit generated by the pandemic, identifying £48.5 million of “net Covid tailwind”. …
The company said the Topshop and Miss Selfridge brands as well as the activewear label HIIT, acquired from Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia empire for £330 million in February, had been “seamlessly” integrated into its online platform and had achieved “great early customer momentum”.
The number of active customers rose by 1.5 million to 24.9 million, which the company said was a good performance given the lockdown had led to fewer “event-led” reasons for people to shop for formal and occasionwear.
Last month, we reported on the damage done to the high street by the lockdowns and the tough restrictions in between. A study by the Local Data Company found that 11,000 shops permanently closed in the UK in 2020. This is expected to be followed by a further 18,000 closures in 2021.
The Guardian says this could be the tip of the iceberg.
The true impact of the pandemic has yet to become apparent. Many outlets included in the research were temporarily closed during lockdowns and were not counted as shut but may never reopen after restrictions are relaxed next month.
The report on online retail is worth reading in full.
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Walking around a shop with muzzled masses is my idea of hell, I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way. I will support my local shops when the muzzles disappear.
Same here. Meanwhile I make no apologies for shopping online.
snap
I have run out of books, but I’ve re-read what I already have rather than shop with Amazon.
You are definitely not alone. For a long time I was making a stand and making myself as visible as possible, ignoring the muzzle mandate. I’ve had no challenges except a few cursory questions that were blocked with the magic word “exempt”. Now though, I can’t bear to look at what they have done to themselves. I feel pity, horror and anger all at the same time, and I don’t want to experience that any more. In my mind now they are a lesser, more primative species, and it is going to be hard to ever forget that.
A shop in our high street sported a notice ordering
victimscustomers to wear their nappies CORRECTLY.I am delighted to say that the business has since gone bust CORRECTLY.
Last paragraph. Note to Guardian, shops and stores were not forced to close, some never to reopen, by The Pandemic but by the ludicrous demands of Lockdown.
Overall lockdown has probably accelerated an ongoing trend whereby shoppers were encouraged to go online rather than use valuable company resources by visiting shops in person (same goes for WFH).
This was happening before the internet became the plaything of the masses. Who remembers when every other friend and neighbour was trying to flog you stuff, notably clothing, “from the catalogue”; Tupperware and Anne Summers parties anyone ?
Does anybody remember the Dutch high street household goods and clothing outfit C & A ? They went online only 15-25 years ago and remain very successful to this day (though for some reason they don’t operate in the UK).
My city centre high street consists entirely of chain stores and boutiques none of which have any appeal. My local high street still has dozens of independent stores selling electrical goods, kitchenware, home brewing and has pet shops, opticians, hair salons, cafes and I will continue to support those that manage to survive.
So even though the shops will technically be open, the authorities will try to make shopping as unpleasant as possible by:
1. Making people wear a pointless rag in their shops.
2. Making a quick visit to a cafe which for many is the main reason they go “shopping” as unpleasant as possible by making people sit out in the rain, recording their derails,, reduced available seating.
3. Making driving to shops more unpleasant by reducing vehicle access and parking.
4.Making public transport more unpleasant by making people wear pointless masks.
Then they wonder why so many just can’t be arsed with it any more.
Towards the end of Lockdown 1 I posted on a personal blog which I think you visit Nessimersion.
‘You might almost think that the government had written to Alcohol Concern explaining how they would like to see most pubs closed down but that they were not strong enough to do so using legislation, any suggestions ?
Alcohol Concer replied “You could try making going to the pub so unpleasant that people stop bothering, you could then blame the public for the waves of pub bankruptcies by pointing out that you (the government) allowed punters back in the pub but they were all too scared to go even though we told them it was safe.”
The Gov responded ‘Sounds good AC, any specifics ?’.
“Tell punters they have to book in advance.
Make them all sit down.
Table service only by staff wearing masks, gloves, visors and plastic smocks.
Curtail inter-table communication by forbidding loud voices.
Ban risky activities such as live music, Karaoke and quizzes.
Strictly limit the numbers in each group.
Forbid inter-table mingling.
Discourage eye-contact.
Make them wear a mask to go to the toilet.
Close the pubs at 10pm every night and threaten punters with arrest if they subsequently congregate outside.
If they fall for that lot move onto making them order a ‘substantial meal’ that they don’t want but which will see off those wet pubs that managed to survive the smoking ban”.
Thoroughly agree, missed that the 1st time round or my memory is getting worse.
T’other blog – is it CW?
If not – I’ve changed phones and lost a few bookmarks I used to visit
UBU, leggy. I signed it off with ‘C*nts’, not word I usually use.
Shame it backfired. More people than ever before are drinking at problem levels at home to try and cope with lockdown/out of sheer boredom because there is nothing else enjoyable that is allowed.
The aim is not to reduce alcohol consumption, they need the tax revenue, it is to reduce seditious talk.
It smacks of deliberate sabotage- the authorities actually seem want to destroy leisure and retail businesses and are doing their utmost to achieve this.
“At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, no mRNA drug or vaccine had been licensed for use in humans. In December 2020, both Moderna and Pfizer–BioNTech obtained emergency use authorization for their mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines, which had been funded by Operation Warp Speed (directly in the case of Moderna and indirectly for Pfizer–BioNTech).”
I imagine they will be pulled at some point – statistically likely anyway. I’m actually surprised the bloodclot one is gaining more negative attention than the frankenstein one.
I’ve invented a new product. Leaves of the tobacco plant wrapped in paper, set alight and inhaled into the lungs. Self reported effects are generally positive. We trialled it on 30,000 people and after 3 months no-one has died so we are rolling it out more widely.
100% effective. (No need to specify the effect.)
Even better, Steve’s innovation above is known to have a protective effect against Covid:
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200615/An-inverse-relationship-between-smoking-and-COVID-19.aspx
We will now have a short intermission for Wah! DRrumpf, invent some reasons why these studies don’t count because reasons!
https://www.npr.org/2007/11/10/5470430/timeline-the-rise-and-fall-of-vioxx
“September 2004: Merck withdraws Vioxx after a colon-polyp prevention study, called APPROVe, shows that the drug raises the risk of heart attacks after 18 months. By the time Vioxx is withdrawn from market, an estimated 20 million Americans have taken the drug.
Research later published in the medical journal Lancet estimates that 88,000 Americans had heart attacks from taking Vioxx, and 38,000 of them died.”
For an alternative take on this go here http://www.numberwatch.co.uk/2005%20September.htm and scroll down to the section on “Vioxx and the power of placebos”.
Anyway you slice it. someone was wrong.
Shop local as much as possible.
This is one of the simplest, legal, and best means of resisting the evil in the world today.
I shop local where the shop is kept by human beings. Even then, I have to steer clear of knickered zombies.
Ugh.
Physical shops are inefficient. Propping them up is like propping up the coal industry, or typing pools.
The writing has been on the wall for years.
The pandemic response has just accelerated the inevitable.
‘Efficiency’ – the sole criterion of the dim.
I’ve got a physical shop. I have been closed since mid December. So you would prefer all shopping to be online? What about the sense of community? I understand that high streets are shrinking, but it will be a sad world when everyone sits inside all day ordering online. I remember when I was a teenager. Going shopping was a way to meet friends and have fun, and meet new boyfriends even. Sitting inside on a computer is a solitary and sad existence
Plus, I sell antiques. Every item is unique. I can’t list one photo with a stock of 100 behind it. Every photo is of something unique and has to be listed individually. I do sell online too, and 99% of my pieces go abroad. Shame the UK doesn’t care that all it’s history is being exported
Nothing can beat the hours spent in second hand record shops.
Some things have to be bought in person
Yes you can buy tins of beans or toilet roll online – who cares.
However anyone who likes cooking and eating prefers to see and smell before they buy the following( which is why the muzzles are particularly nauseating)
Bread
Vegetables & Fruit
Meat
Fish & Shellfish
Herbs.
I’ve got an antique shop. No vax or face covering required.. let’s see what happens.
PLEASE HELP – how do I access the forum?? I can only see a dating site??? But before I created an account I could see tons of messages on a forum. I want to meet some likeminded people in London
Well done! If I was in London, I’d definitely come and visit you
You could promote your shop on the Awakened Choice website (which grew out of the Awakened Travel group on FB) – https://www.awakenedchoice.net/.
There are also a number of groups on FB where you can advertise your business – I’ve joined this one, Freedom Friendly Business Directory UK – https://www.facebook.com/groups/1372252339649935/.
Good luck!
thank you so much! I will look into this, but in the meantime how do I go on the forum here? It seems to have disappeared. Sure I can see the word ‘forum’ but when I click on it, it is just for dating
Google search (soz)
forums lockdownsceptics.org
Takes me to the full forums index page, sorry I can’t do hyperlinks from Android.