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(Reuters) - Best Buy Co Inc signaled a slowdown in the coronavirus crisis-driven demand for remote-work computer equipment on Thursday as it missed holiday-quarter sales estimates, sending its shares down 8%.
The rise of home offices and a shift to remote learning by schools raised demand for laptops, webcams, and other computer equipment last year, making Best Buy one of the bigger retail winners of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the consumer electronics retailer is unsure how the rollout of vaccines would affect consumer demand and shopping patterns, Chief Financial Officer Matt Bilunas said.
“There is a high level of uncertainty related to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic that makes it difficult to predict how sustainable these trends will be,” he said.