Columbia Sportswear said Sunday it will close its retail stores in North America starting March 16, and expects to keep them closed through March 27. The active lifestyle apparel and equipment seller said it is offering "catastrophic paid leave" to employees most affected by the coronavirus, MarketWatch reports. Other steps Columbia said it has taken as a result of the global pandemic include store closures in select markets outside North America, enhanced cleaning protocols, implementing work-from-home plans, encouragement of sick employees to stay home and travel restrictions. The stock has lost 23.2 percent over the past month through Friday, while the S&P 500 has dropped 19.8 percent.

Source: The Standard March 16, 2020 01:46 UTC