What Are the Fastest Growing and Declining Retail Companies During COVID-19?

Which retail companies have grown or declined the most in the past year? This proportional area chart from VisualCapitalist uses the size of different “price tags” to compare the change in brand value of some of the biggest companies in the world from 2019 to 2020. The VisualCapitalist team sourced data from from the Kantar brandZ Top 75 Most Valuable Global Retail Brands report and is especially interesting as it illustrates how the world has adjusted their shopping habits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Check out the full chart below:

Click below to zoom

Which retail companies are faring the best during the coronavirus pandemic?

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that major online retailers such as Amazon and Alibaba have won big over the past year. Without the ability to shop in physical retail stores that had been deemed nonessential, online retailers such as Amazon were an easy choice for shoppers. Perhaps somewhat surprising is the pandemics biggest retail winner: Lululemon. The apparel company has always had a heavy focus on online shopping and their brand value has now grown 40% over the past year as a result. Other winners include Costco, Walmart, Target, Sam’s Club, and other large, traditionally brick and mortar establishments which have found creative ways to stay relevant and profitable during these troubling times.

What are the biggest retail losers during COVID-19?

The retail brands that saw the biggest decline over the past year include specialty fashion brands such as The North Face, H&M, and Burberry as well as fast food and coffee restaurants such as Subway, Tim Hortons, and Dunkin’ Donuts. This can be due in part to compulsory store closures and an overall shift in consumer focus as people were stuck at home during lock downs. However, the fastest declining brand over the past year is Under Armour which has had problems dating long before the pandemic took hold. The company has seen a discouraging 34% drop in brand value since last year.

Only time will tell which companies will come out on top (and which might go out of business) by the time the pandemic comes to an end.