Pandemic hobbies: Some have stuck around longer than others

6/17/21 7:00PM

This week British bicycle retailer Halfords warned that it expected the "global bike shortage" to continue, as the surge in demand for bikes during the pandemic has lingered into the end of 2020 and the start of 2021.

The bike boom is an example of a hobby that exploded during the pandemic — and has actually had some staying power. Google searches for "bike for sale" have come down from their pandemic peak, but are still higher in 2021 than they ever were in 2019.

‍Yoga is another activity that has maintained at least some of the momentum, as have searches for home workout routines, which again are (only slightly) higher in 2021 than they were in 2019. But of all of the pandemic hobbies, few have replicated what has happened to chess. Searches for online chess got a double boost, first from the pandemic, and then from the Netflix series The Queen's Gambit — which has fuelled a second boom in the ancient game.

Chess, yoga, bike rides and home workouts may have retained varying amounts of their pandemic bump — but the same can't be said for some of the other pandemic fads such as breadmaking and puzzling. Searches for both appear to have returned to levels seen in 2019. Banana bread's 15 minutes of fame is officially over.

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Starbucks sells control of China business for $4 billion

Starbucks disclosed on Monday evening in a regulatory filing that it will sell control of its ailing China business to Boyu Capital for about $4 billion.

Under the agreement, Boyu will own a 60% stake in the China segment, which will become a joint venture between Boyu and Starbucks. The coffee chain will retain a 40% interest in the entity and will continue to own and license the brand and intellectual property.

Bloomberg reported earlier this year that the company was looking to sell its China segment. The American coffee giant has struggled to succeed in China, its second-largest market after the US.

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OPEC and others are boosting oil production as the race to catch up with the US goes on

This month’s 137,000-barrel-a-day boost is a little more modest than some expected.

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China, the world’s largest carbon polluter, has pledged to cut emissions for the first time

President Xi Jinping has announced that China is aiming to slash carbon emissions by up to 10% in the next decade.

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John Wayne Airport in Orange County tops the list of North America’s favorite airports

Despite a record year of passenger numbers, flight cancellations, and delays, a new survey has revealed that flyers have been increasingly satisfied about their experiences in North American airports.

According to this year’s North America Airport Satisfaction Study from data analysts at J.D. Power, overall passenger satisfaction scores were up 10 points (on a 1,000-point scale), largely from “improvements in food, beverage and retail and ease of travel through the airport.” The annual survey measures overall traveler satisfaction across the region’s airports in seven categories (in order of importance): ease of travel, level of trust, terminal facilities, airport staff, airport departure experience, food and retail, and airport arrival experience.

Here are the region’s favorites:

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More than 40% of American adults now report being online “almost constantly”

While a new survey showed Japan has the greatest share of perpetually online people, there was a significant number reporting not using the internet at all.

Pandemic hobbies: Some have stuck around longer than others

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Starbucks sells control of China business for $4 billion

John Wayne Airport in Orange County tops the list of North America’s favorite airports

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