MarketWatch reports that "UBS analysts forecast 80,000 store closures over the next five years, as the COVID-19 acceleration in e-commerce forces retailers to shrink their fleet of bricks-and-mortar locations.
"That will bring the total number of stores in the U.S. to 797,000, down from 878,000.
"UBS also forecasts that e-commerce penetration will reach 27% by 2026, up from 18% in 2020."
And, "UBS says e-commerce fulfillment from stores will rise to 20% in 2026 from 10% in 2020."
The projections identify certain retailers seen as better equipped to adapt to new retail realities: Walmart, Costco, TJX, Home Depot, and Lowe’s.
- KC's View:
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The question is, how many of these closures will be classified as homicides, how many will be death by natural causes, and how many will be suicides.
I don't know the answer to this question. But I do know this - there will be more suicides than there will be retailers willing to admit it.
