Everything and everyone we care about has been rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic. In just weeks, our world has been turned upside down. We find ourselves trying to navigate this surreal landscape, addressing each new challenge – both personal and professional – as gracefully as possible, so we can move onto the next challenge on our list. And if you are like most of us our list of challenges is still growing. C-Store Investments is here to provide assistance in helping you manage your company. We have assembled key metrics of our economy. The following scorecards (located on pages 3-8) provide information about personal mobility, traffic counts, confirmed COVID-19 cases, unemployment, gasoline volumes, and the status of stay-at-home orders for each of the six New England states. These scorecards will be updated weekly to keep the information relevant. Trends will become evident as the different states open their economies. This will assist you with your business planning for the next month, quarter, and year.
Currently our mobility to retail establishments and workplaces are down 45% to 55% from the norm. The most recent week saw a slight improvement. Traffic volumes are off 50% to 60%. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in many states is leveling, with Vermont having a steady decline. Unemployment is rising sharply with most states having 7% to 8% unemployment, Rhode Island is the highest at 11.8%. Gasoline volumes are off by 50% from one year ago. The rate of decline has leveled off with 50% to 70% of retailers reporting slight increases from the prior week. We may be at the bottom with future increases being dependent upon state Governors reopening their states. For most states this will be several weeks or longer. Together we will get through this crisis and we will continue to assist you in maximizing your store’s potential. We are always willing to discuss your specific situation and provide guidance, just give us a call or shoot us an email.