Nothing less than an upheaval has been happening in the grocery business since the Coronavirus pandemic shutdown began. Whereas prior to the shutdown, online purchases of groceries for in-store pickup and home delivery was about 4% of the market, it rocketed past 10% once the shutdown started and getting to 20% looks very real. The charts below show the growth.
What happens to an industry when 20% of the in-store customers stop coming in? In a business like grocery where profit margins are slim, reductions in store volume will make many stores unprofitable and supermarkets will have to close. Gentle reader, you already know what that looks like, you’ve seen the many dark fashion stores on almost every shopping street in America. The big stores that the supermarket industry saw as its anchor could become its ball and chain.
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