World-famous shopping paradises from Paris, New York to Tokyo are preparing for an unprecedented holiday season amid the Covid-19 pandemic resurging in many parts of the world.
The pandemic has cost retailers a huge chunk of their annual holiday spending by tourists, but luxury stores in some of the world's most exclusive shopping districts are scrambling to salvage some of their holiday revenue.
BOND STREET, LONDON, ENGLAND
“2020 has definitely been the worst year yet” for the world’s most famous luxury shopping havens, according to Katie Thomas, deputy director at New West End, the organisation behind 600 retailers, restaurants and hotels in London’s Bond Street and Mayfair areas.
UK retailers face 'nightmare' Christmas season due to second nationwide lockdown
Bond Street has been hit hard by its reliance on foreign tourists and its lack of office workers, with footfall in its shops halving when the UK reintroduced travel restrictions earlier this month due to a resurgence of the virus.
"This is really a terrible tornado," Thomas said.
Still, stores from Cartier to Chanel can’t wait to reopen to prepare for the holiday season. They’ve started putting up Christmas lights earlier than usual. Stores say they’ll have a band play when they reopen on December 3 and may offer hot chocolate to shoppers who have to wait in line.
CHAMPS-Élysées, PARIS, FRANCE
The resurgence of the disease has forced France into a second lockdown, with shops forced to close from October 30.
“If we don’t reopen on December 1, the situation will be extremely serious,” said Edouard Lefebvre, director general of the Champs-Élysées Committee, which represents more than 100 shops on the Champs-Élysées. However, the organization plans to start putting up Christmas lights from November 22.
Paris enters second lockdown due to Covid-19 pandemic
Shops on the Champs-Élysées have been hit hard in recent years by terrorist attacks, riots after football matches and Yellow Vest protests. Two consecutive lockdowns due to the Covid-19 pandemic have dealt a further blow to the shops there.
GINZA, TOKYO, JAPAN
The Japanese capital's most famous shopping district, Ginza usually lights up at this time of year, as luxury stores begin to light up and decorate for the Christmas and New Year holidays. This year, however, many shops and buildings remain dark, with the Japanese government imposing restrictions on foreign visitors, causing a sharp decline in visitors to Ginza.
A high-end store in Ginza, Tokyo
To cope with the situation, the Ginza Street Association plans to hold a handwashing event at Ginza's main intersection in December. Passersby will be given a handkerchief and a discount coupon for shopping at nearby stores. The association will also add lights along the streets to attract people to have fun and shop.
CAUSEWAY BAY, Hong Kong
In the retail world, Hong Kong’s shop owners have been hit harder than anyone else. The desolate scene along the main street in Causeway Bay – home to the world’s most expensive retail space – shows the devastating impact of anti-government protests and Covid-19 restrictions on stores over the past 20 months. Brands such as Tissot, Prada, Victoria’s Secret… are now all closed.
A shopping mall in Hong Kong
Hopes are being raised as tourists are starting to return, albeit in small numbers. To stimulate tourism, Hong Kong has agreed with Singapore to create a “travel bubble” – a safe corridor that would allow visitors to enter the country without quarantine. However, due to the sharp increase in Covid-19 cases in Hong Kong, the two sides have decided to postpone the start of the “travel bubble” by two weeks.
“It seems like the worst is over with the virus and the political situation under control,” Amrita Banta, managing director at Singapore consultancy Agility Research, said before the travel bubble between the two Asian financial hubs was postponed. “The city is ready to reopen.”
FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK, USA
Fifth Avenue is still home to two of the world’s most prestigious department stores: Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman. But the number of stores has been dwindling in recent years, starting with the closure of the century-old Henri Bendel and nearby Barneys New York. Several prime locations, including the former Ralph Lauren store, remain unoccupied.
But Fifth Avenue stores are preparing for a somewhat quiet holiday season, with few tourists passing through as the number of Covid-19 cases in New York continues to rise. As usual, Saks, Bergdorf, and luxury fashion stores like Dolce & Gabbana and Louis Vuitton are decorating their windows with Christmas-themed decorations. Jerome Barth, president of the Fifth Avenue Association, a local business group, is installing oversized toy art installations, including teddy bears, balloons, and spinning tops.
Retail stores in downtown New York are covered with wooden boards in anticipation of post-election protests.
The preparations come after a tumultuous summer, when stores on Fifth Avenue were vandalized during protests following the death of George Floyd, and then many stores were boarded up in anticipation of protests following the November 3 presidential election.
Now, most stores have started to reopen with hopes of a brighter future after nearly a year of turmoil.
