With the coronavirus pandemic exposing most sectors to anywhere from mild to major panic over the past year the adjustment to the real world has changed habits everywhere. Some sectors saw accelerated growth like online retailers and for others like alcohol manufacturers and fashion companies making items that are in high demand like sanitizer and masks. This will be a new normal for many companies, and for some that is a good thing.
The landscape for investors is also changing, and many people are hoping to be quick in moving into these sectors and are adapting to the new business models. So who’s ready for this new model?
The pandemic has also changed the landscape for investors — the savvy should tap in fast to sectors and companies prospering from the pandemic whose strategy, borne out of tough times, has been adopted as their new model.
The first major area to be affected is retail and for grocery shopping home delivery meal kits have seen major boosts. This is led by German meal-kit company HelloFresh, and they believe that their business model will continue to see growth after the pandemic as many families appear poised to continue to cook more at home long after restaurants open. Another group is online grocery store Ocado which has seen major boosts during the pandemic. They have seen a 35% rise in sales and expect this to continue as people become accustomed to the food delivery.
Another sector looking at sustained growth is luxury goods. These companies used to scoff at reducing the value of products by selling them online but have been forced to make those moves by closures of retail stores, and that includes third party sales. It is expected that one third of global luxury sales will be online by 2025.
Consumer goods are also looking at big permanent changes. Unilever, which makes products for multiple international brands, has announced that desk workers will never return to the five day office jobs. They will be moving to a hybrid system and will lock down the specifics over the next couple of years. Fulham Shore will use the drop in restaurant space rental to expand their pizzeria chain Franco Manca.
Finance & Technology are the no brainers of the shifts from the pandemic, as they are some of the most nimble industries. Samsung is focusing on home based technology and is going to be releasing many products meant to take outside activities inside. Phllips expanded their move into tele-health products. Meanwhile Standard Charter, HSBC, and Citigroup have all announced plans to move away from the traditional bank-hours desk jobs at their major headquarters.
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