Published on : 03/20/2020 – 6:45 p.m.
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The Covid-19 pandemic, as bad as it is for the entire real economy, benefits certain listed securities. Laboratories, home delivery, online business, streaming services … They are the winners of this crisis.
With the containment of populations and the closing of stores around the world, online sales are exploding. In 2019, e-commerce recorded 103 billion euros in France, according to figures from the Federation of e-commerce and distance selling (Fevad), with growth of 11.6% compared to 2018. 10% of French retail is done online.
Among the giants of the sector, Amazon takes the lion’s share. The Seattle firm represents a 22.2% market share in France, leaving far behind its French competitors, Cdiscount (8.1%) and Fnac Darty (4.1%). The coronavirus crisis only accentuates the dominant position of the American.
100 000 new employees for Amazon
Suddenly, Amazon is recruiting. The group would need 100,000 new handlers in its warehouses and delivery people to meet the growing demand from its customers worried about the spread of the Covid-19.
To achieve this, the American does not hesitate to put in means. The company announces that it will increase the salaries of its employees, who are essential in preparing for the dispatch and delivery of orders. Two dollars an hour more for Amazon employees in the United States, two more pounds for those in the United Kingdom and two euros more for employees of European sites, Walmart is following suit. The American distribution chain has thus chosen to hire 150,000 people for its stores and distribution centers.
The medical sector in great shape
Laboratories are also doing well. Novavax, for example. This small laboratory located in Maryland had announced that it was working on a possible new vaccine against the coronavirus. As of this announcement, its stock market value almost doubled to reach some $ 600 million. In France, the shares of Ipsen and Erytech Pharma (both biopharmaceutical companies) are prancing with more than 10% increase.
The health sector has also the wind in its sails. In France, the share of Euromédis, the French leader in single-use gloves, jumped 244%. We can also observe pretty stock market performances among producers of canned goods. A boon in the current context for panicked investors.
Small businesses forced to close
But this success of some, makes the misfortune of others. At the same time, many small businesses are closing, some temporarily, others permanently. 70,000 people were laid off in a single week across the United States, according to the latest data from weekly unemployment benefit claims.
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