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Fashion retailer H&M is set to close 250 stores as the coronavirus pandemic continues to deliver a blow to in-person sales.
As the retailer shutters the doors of its stores, the plan is to adapt to the shift of customers who are now preferring to shop online more regularly.
Earlier this year when the pandemic first struck, H&M temporarily closed 80 percent of its stores.
“More and more customers started shopping online during the pandemic, and they are making it clear that they value a convenient and inspiring experience in which stores and online interact and strengthen each other,” H&M CEO Helena Helmersson said in a statement.
While H&M profits have dipped during the pandemic, the retailer saw an impressive 27 percent surge in online sales.
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The coronavirus mainly comes from animals and a majority of those who were infected early either worked at or frequently visited the Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, according to The Guardian. The virus is similar to Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers).
The Wuhan coronavirus is transmitted from person to person through “droplet transmission.” That means an infected person can pass the virus by sneezing or coughing on another person as well as by direct contact.
While a majority of the cases have been detected in the United States and China — with more than 7.14 million confirmed cases and 205,000 deaths in the United States — it has now reached many countries around the world. It has also been confirmed in Italy, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and many other eastern countries.
