Retail stores reopening as coronavirus lockdowns lift

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U.S. retailers are slowly reopening after the coronavirus forced them to shutter.

As the U.S. emerges from over a month-long lockdown, in which states and municipalities prohibited all but essential businesses from operating, retailers aim to recover from pandemic-related losses. Retail sales dropped 8.7% in March, the largest monthly dip ever recorded. Now, although some states like New York and California are still shut down, most of the U.S. has partially reopened.

Almost all stores said they would increase cleaning protocols and institute social distancing measures, including limiting the number of customers in stores, closing fitting rooms, mandating staff wear masks and gloves, providing customers hand sanitizer, installing protective shields at cash registers and using social distancing markers.

Here are the retailers that have made new opening announcements this week:

Apple

Apple (AAPL), the Cupertino-based iPhone maker, will reopen over 25 of its U.S. retail stores the week of May 18, after it opened five in Alabama, Alaska, Idaho and South Carolina the week prior. The first store reopened on May 11 in Boise, Idaho. The tech giant has over 270 U.S. retail locations, which will reopen on a city-by-city basis.

“Our team is constantly monitoring local health data and government guidance, and as soon as we can safely open our stores, we will,” the company said in a statement.

Photo by: John Nacion/STAR MAX/IPx 2020 3/15/20 New Yorkers wear protective masks and avoid mass transit while venuues continue to close. Apple recently shuttered it's stores through March 27th.
Photo by: John Nacion/STAR MAX/IPx 2020 3/15/20 New Yorkers wear protective masks and avoid mass transit while venuues continue to close. Apple recently shuttered it's stores through March 27th.

Swarovski

Swarovski, the Austrian crystal company, reopened select stores in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas as of Monday, May 18th. The company will sanitize all products that have been tried on or returned before making them available to other customers.

Below is an alphabetical list of retailers that are reopening. Yahoo Finance will continue to update this list.

Abercrombie & Fitch

The Ohio-based clothing retailer has reopened select Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) and Hollister brand stores, including locations in Atlanta and Dallas. The rest of its 850 locations will reopen on “a rolling basis.”

“We are optimistic for the future and we’re happy to announce that we have begun to open select stores globally on a rolling basis and will continue to do so in the weeks ahead,” CEO Fran Horowitz said in a statement.

American Eagle

American Eagle (AEO), the Pittsburgh, Penn.-based clothing retailer and owner of lingerie brand Aerie and others, has reopened at least 43 stores in 10 states. The company plans to reopen at least 600 of 1,000 stores by the end of May. The company will not close changing rooms but instead will clean and quarantine items that are tried on but not purchased, according to reports.