Shopping Centres adapt to Covid-19 Since the beginning of the pandemic, and the lockdowns that followed, the question being asked by real estate investors, retailers, shoppers and even local councils is - how will shopping centres survive? A retail sector already under pressure from the shift towards online shopping has been further hit by lockdowns which left non-essential shops in south west London shut for months at a time, with empty units becoming an increasingly common sight as a result. And, while the coronavirus crisis has had a major impact for all retail destinations, shopping centres seem to have been hit the worst.