“Staycation” a boon to some Canadian retailers

TORONTO — As the ongoing pandemic reshapes consumer habits and redirects spending toward the home, the Globe & Mail reports that some Canadian businesses are reaping the benefits. With families opting for home “staycations” or distanced outdoor activities, supply chains are crunched for items like kayaks and patio furniture—in some cases, likely into 2021. At the same time, analysts caution the honeymoon, driven by finite factors like government income assistance and a backlog of unfulfilled lockdown-period demand, won’t last forever. Even now, not everyone is enjoying the same gains. “Retail sales do not tell the whole story,” says Jocelyn Paquet, an economist at the National Bank of Canada. “Consumption of goods is bouncing back a lot faster than consumption of services.”