Abstract
Over the last two decades sustainability strategies and programmes have assumed an increasingly high profile within the leading companies in the service industries. However, the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) poses a major challenge to the majority of companies within these industries and may reduce their commitment to sustainable development. At the same time, a counter argument holds that a continuing commitment to sustainability will be vitally important in maintaining the relationships between the service industries and the natural and social capital on which many of them depend. This commentary paper explores sustainability within the retail and hospitality industries through the lens of the COVID-19 crisis. The paper provides an outline of the COVID-19 crisis and of its impact within the retail and hospitality industries and explores some of the relationships between COVID-19 and sustainability.