South Tangerang –
The Indonesian Shopping Center Management Association (APPBI) has estimated that there are many closings of retail businesses and shopping centers in the country. This is due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which has been going on for a year in Indonesia.
One of the retail businesses that will close is Center Department Store at Bintaro Xchange, South Tangerang. Previously, the retail network owned by Parkson Retail Asia Ltd which was listed on the Singapore Exchange, through PT TozySentosa, had closed its outlets at Plaza Ambarrukmo, Yogyakarta.
The condition of the Centro outlets at Bintaro Xchange itself was already in limited operation. Only shops located on the LG floor are open with minimal stocks of products. Meanwhile on the GF floor it was completely closed and not a single product was on display.
At the shop door Center on the GF floor even written the words ‘Sorry for the inconvenience, Centro Bintaro Xchange is carrying out a stock taking’.
One shop employee, who did not want to be named, said conditions like this had happened since early March 2021.
“The stock is still this much,” he said, Wednesday (24/3/2021).
Monitoring detikcom at the location, all clothing products, both clothes and pants, are all priced at a discount of up to 50%. He admitted that he did not know with certainty the limited operation for how long and because of what.
“Why I do not know, it is from the internal side,” he said.
Chairperson of APPBI Alphonsus Widjaja said the phenomenon of falling fashion retailers indicates that companies are not strong enough to face the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the pandemic, said Alphonsus, there were restrictive policies that reduced people’s mobility and purchasing power.
“Business actors who no longer have the ability to survive are forced to close their businesses or sell them,” said Alphonsus.
He also estimates that retail businesses, especially fashion and shopping centers, will remain in difficult conditions throughout 2021.
“It is estimated that this difficult condition will still occur in 2021, retail and shopping centers will still be under pressure. One of the retail sectors that was quite hit during the pandemic is the fashion category (clothing / clothing),” he said.
(hek/eds)
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