The big end is yet to come

January 8, 2021

2 Less than a minute

Shops in downtown Stuttgart are closed and there are only a few passers-by. Lots of retailers are trying. still sell their goods over the Internet. Photo: / Leif Piechowski

Many stores will close forever. But customers can support local retailers, says Daniel Gräfe. The inner cities will benefit from this.

Stuttgart – According to estimates by the Federal Statistical Office, retail sales grew by more than four percent in 2020 compared to the previous year. But the number that would have sparked excitement in retail in other years obscures the dramatic differences that currently exist in the industry. While grocers and hardware stores gained strongly, the fashion trade collapsed. Above all, however, the enormous boom in online trading makes the year more beautiful. And what’s more: the large mail order companies and internet platforms benefit 85 percent from this boom – but the online shops in stationary stores only to a small extent.