The second weekend of holiday shopping suggests that despite stores opening up, online sales continue to offer the only signs of growth. The pandemic has hit retailers in the Czech Republic hard this year, and most store owners were counting on December to make up for time lost during the spring and fall lockdowns. But brick and mortar stores are reporting sales of one-third less than a year ago, with consumers showing the greatest interest in food, baking items and electronics. A new popular item that didn’t make the best seller list in 2019 was health and hygienic goods. By contrast, business is booming for online retailers, with the largest online retailers Alza.cz reporting sales up by 33 percent. The food retailer Rohlik.cz says many clients are making large orders ahead of Christmas, something that was an absolute rarity a year ago. Sales are down at the shopping center Arkady in Prague 4 but limits on the number of customers has meant that lines formed outside of stores. Mall tenants expect improved sales figures for the coming weekend, however, with new infections rising across the country, this will depend on the development of the pandemic.
