Offline retailers of consumer goods hit by third wave of Covid-19

Sector sees volume decline of up to 25%; e-com firms do brisk business

Offline retailers of consumer durables, packaged goods, and two-wheelers have been hit hard by the third wave of Covid-19, even as e-commerce companies are laughing all the way to the bank.

Spooked by uncertainty and a persistent inflationary trend, consumers are curtailing the purchase of discretionary items but continuing to lap up non-discretionary items such as groceries, medicines, and Covid self-test kits.

In the third quarter of the current financial year, which included the festival season, the sector saw a volume decline of 20-25 per cent, along with a value erosion of 5-10 per cent, said Kamal Nandi, business head and executive