Super Micro Computer Stock Jumps 20% After Record AI Orders and Margin Surge 
IBM Q2 Earnings Miss Estimates as Software Growth Offsets Infrastructure Weakness 
Amkor Stock Surges 17% After $1.5 Billion Nvidia AI Packaging Partnership 
Samsung Eyes Up to $1.14 Billion Investment in AI Startup Mistral 
Oracle Stock Rises After Winning Up to $6.99 Billion U.S. Defense Software Contract 
Cathay Pacific Sees H1 Profit Surge on Strong Travel Demand 
Coca-Cola Raises Diet Coke Prices in India as Iran Conflict Disrupts Can Supply 
Intel, AMD Seek Long-Term China Server CPU Deals as AI Demand Drives Supply Crunch 
Intel Stock Slips After Earnings Rally Despite Strong AI-Driven Revenue Growth 
OpenAI AI Agent Reportedly Breached Hugging Face, Raising AI Safety Concerns 
Scandinavian Tobacco Group Sells BREAK and Moro Brands to Japan Tobacco for €176 Million 
Wistron Opens $700M Texas AI Factory to Build Nvidia Superchips in U.S. 
Volkswagen Cuts 2026 Revenue Outlook as China Weakness, Trade Risks Weigh 
Nike Shifts China Online Sales Strategy to Boost Brand and Fight Local Rivals 
Alaska Air Q3 Outlook Misses Estimates as Higher Fuel Costs Weigh on Profit Forecast 
AMD Unveils Helios AI Servers to Challenge Nvidia as OpenAI Adopts New Platform 
The year 2020 will never be forgotten in history as it was the time when the world was gripped by a pandemic that has killed more than a million people already. In this modern era, the impact of the COVID-19 crisis worldwide was so massive as it did not just took away lives but ended livelihoods as businesses were forced to close down.
How the retailing business changed amid the pandemic
As per Fortune, before 2020 ended, more than 12,200 retail stores across the U.S. have shut down as the pandemic changed the retailing business forever. It has caused a big shift that most business owners are not yet prepared for, and this led to the closure of stores.
Big firms have been affected by COVID-19 big-time and what more for the smaller businesses out there. Definitely, it is not only in America, but store closures also happened in many countries worldwide. The main reason for this is the sudden shift to e-commerce.
Online retail stores have dominated the business structures as people started to do their shopping via the internet. Since the public is not allowed to go out of their homes as lockdowns are in place to curb the virus, online shopping remained the only option to get supplies and other things.
The boom in the online business led to the massive decline in the retailing business, and even big chain stores like JC Penney, Gap, Bed and Bath, Walmart, Target, Macy’s, and more have close some if not all of their stores in certain states. Many have also filed for bankruptcy as the companies are no longer earning, yet they still have so much to pay like taxes, rents, salaries, and more.
The “retail apocalypse” continues in 2021
While COVID-19 started last year, the world has not yet fully curb the spread of the virus. This means that people are still staying in their homes, and in turn, businesses continue to suffer. Many companies have permanently shut their stores down, and many more are closing out this year.
The pandemic is truly an “apocalypse” that has terrorized the retail sector. Businesses that are still thriving and have previous plans of expansion have already halted their plans because that is the only way to survive in the business for now.
