Streaming Santa: Europe’s retailers go online to rescue holidays

The click and collect counter in a supermarket near Paris, on the fifth day of a lockdown aimed at containing the spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19). — AFP

The bane of Europe’s traditional retail stores over the past decade – the Internet – is now the thing they’re clinging to for survival.

With lockdowns closing non-essential shops in countries including England and France, retailers are racing to expand click-and-collect services and home delivery in a bid to keep Amazon.com Inc from monopolising their most important season. They’re also offering things like video calls with Santa to try to recreate some of the buzz of Christmas shopping online.