Walter Loeb, former retail analyst and now consultant, expects most stores to reopen in May or June but in staggered waves. Fashion brand Mango has already started reopening its stores. The Spanish retailer plans to open 16 additional Dutch shops on top of 42 in Germany. Another 27 stores will reopen in the Czech Republic, Latvia, Georgia, Cyprus and Ukraine.
Most retailers are readying their back-to-school and fall assortments, or at least those orders that either have been reduced or not fully canceled. According to Loeb, retailers that plan to open stores locations later in the summer, either late August or early September, will need to stock merchandise better suited for fall and early winter.
