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Although no new quarantines have been announced, fear is in trade. However, they hope to sell and recover from this difficult year. This is how they prepare for the season.
The streets of Saint Victorino, an icon of Bogotá’s commerce, once again experience agglomerations of buyers attracted by low prices, who add to the concentration of informal sellers. The sector was once again busy and, again, more than one taxi driver is lazy “to go there”. But, strangely enough, the above could be seen as a good indicator for commerce, which seeks to recover from the months in which its sales went to the ground and in which many had to close their businesses. But the pandemic continues and the message remains: do not lower your guard and maintain biosecurity protocols.
From this “new normal”, traders prepare for the season they look forward to most: December. As explained by one of the Gran San businessmen, Carlos Martínez, owner of a clothing brand made with cannabis (hemp), in recent months it is possible to sell almost the same as is sold in the rest of the year. However, due to the news that arrives from other parts of the world, the fear persists that a new quarantine or a similar measure slows its recovery at this time. That is why one of their main claims, beyond tax relief or credit facilities, is that they do not close. “The expectation is that they will not close, because there they do break us,” says Martínez, who agrees with the request made by Juan Esteban Orrego, executive director of Fenalco Bogota.
Faced with such uncertainty, The viewer consulted the Secretary of Economic Development, Carolina Duran, who said that the District does not want to close, because they know that Bogotá cannot endure more restrictions of this type. “The capital needs to remain open,” he explained. The official explains that, for now, “the capital is doing well”, because although infections continue to occur (there are 215 active cases per 100,000 inhabitants), deaths are below other cities in Latin America (95 per 100,000 inhabitants ).
Also read: It will be three years uphill to recover the economy of the capital
However, the outlook could change drastically, so an eventual closure will depend on whether Bogota citizens continue to respect self-care measures and follow recommendations such as staying home if they have symptoms associated with COVID-19. Hence, one of the main commitments of merchants in Bogotá for the end of the year season is compliance with biosecurity protocols in shopping centers and inside establishments.
According to the marketing manager of the Santafé shopping center, Ximena González, “It is essential to offer a safe shopping experience, complying with all biosafety protocols and extending some discount dates to maintain distance and avoid crowds”. A similar bet is the one that has been implemented in the Great saint. Its manager, Yansen Estupiñán, knows that one of the commitments is not to generate crowds, since in December they usually receive more than 10,000 people per hour. However, this year they are only allowed a capacity of 4,200.
“We are going to have controls and encourage people to buy everything throughout the day. We will also promote our virtual early rises so that, through the platforms, they are encouraged to buy, guaranteeing that it is safe, that the garments will reach them and that each brand that appears on our social networks has support from the administration of the shopping center, “he says. .
In addition to this, at the door they will have controls with software that allows them to know the capacity in real time. As soon as it turns red, entry is prevented and a campaign is made so that those who have already bought leave to free the quota. Although factors such as capacity limitations and the economic impact of the pandemic (especially the increase in unemployment and poverty) suggest that sales will not be the same as last year, and figures such as those presented by Credibanco indicate that the fall would not be so drastic.
According to this Colombian company dedicated to payment systems, the confinement caused the number of transactions in the country to drop -35% compared to the first two months of the year. Later, in June and July, with a sectorized quarantine, the figure consolidated at -30%. With the beginning of economic liberalization and selective isolation, the reduction was -12%. “With enthusiasm, we see that consumption has become more dynamic and the market indicators are approaching those we had before the COVID-19 situation,” says Diego Quesada, vice president of business transformation at Credibanco.
From the Bogota Chamber of Commerce Another element that would help arises: the advance payment of the premium. This would not only encourage consumption, but would allow people to make their purchases in time. “Products exempt from VAT, such as toys, clothing, school supplies, household appliances, agricultural inputs and computers are a range of possibilities that opens up for consumers to take advantage of and that this helps the dynamics of the economy”, communicates the Chamber .
Traders are getting ready and committed to offering all the alternatives so that the impact of the pandemic is not so felt. It only remains for citizens to do their part and do not forget that self-care depends on how Christmas is lived.
And the informal ones?
Despite the challenge in biosecurity, preventing informal trade is not an option, since with an unemployment rate of 20.5%, surely more people will go to this work to obtain income. Libardo Asprilla, director of the IPESHe knows it and that is why he announced the plan to mitigate the risk of contagion in December.
Also read: Charging for the commercial use of public space would allow progress in formality
“We will do the Christmas Festival, intervening in the areas of greater agglomeration, such as San Victorino and the National Park,” he explains. The idea is, with the local city halls, to organize the vendors in areas where compliance with biosecurity measures can be controlled, such as the use of a mask, distancing and hand disinfection. In San Victorino alone, for example, it is expected to organize some 400 informal traders.
However, this is still a complex task, because with so many people and after long hours of work, the guard could be lowered, so the message of self-care is reiterated. The IPES bets for the last month also seek to benefit the market places. Having the good reference of the Fritanga Fest, they hope to develop a contest, this time, with the ajiaco.
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