Amazon Gets Stronger with 10,000 Stores Closing in US
This is looking like Amazon's season to knock-out retailers. Yes, a total of 10,000 physical stores will close in the US and if that happens, Amazon will become stronger. Covid-19 has helped it to accelerate a redesign it started many years ago.
A record 10,000 U.S. stores could close this year as pandemic-related lockdowns and restrictions hit brick-and-mortar shops, advisory group Coresight Research says in a new report. The figure would mark a 14% jump from the closures seen in 2020, when some retailers were able to hold out by renegotiating their rent agreements. Another 4,000 stores are forecast to open, meanwhile, largely thanks to discount grocers and dollar store chains.
This game will end up with Amazon battling Walmart. And Walmart knows that and is retooling itself with robots to speed up delivery processes.
Walmart is turning to robots in the battle among retail giants to fulfill online orders faster. The company says it's setting up small warehouses at dozens of stores that will be staffed with robots to keep up with demand for online delivery and curbside pickup. Construction has already begun to transform some stores in Texas, Utah and Arkansas into “micro-fulfillment centers.” The move sharpens competition with one of Walmart’s major rivals, Amazon, which already deploys similar automated technology in its warehouses.