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SINGAPORE: Those who have been with Robinson long enough might feel things were not looking good, but not Mr. Andy Ng, a sales supervisor who has been there for only two years.
“We found out this morning during a meeting,” he said of the department store’s liquidation, which was announced on Friday (October 30). “I did not expect”.
Surrounded by half-empty shelves and a sea of customers, the 39-year-old at the store’s outlet in the Raffles City Mall added that he would miss his colleagues and is worried about getting another job.
Other employees who have been there for decades were subdued and tried to keep their emotions from overwhelming them.
It was kind of chaotic when TODAY visited the Raffles City and The Heeren outlets on Friday afternoon. There were queues of customers at the cashiers, some of the staff packed the goods in cardboard boxes, while other employees continued to serve customers.
The constant stream of customers entering the stores bought various items, from clothing to bonsai plants.
A 74-year-old sales associate at the Raffles City store, who declined to be named, said: “I’m very sad … When I see the empty counters downstairs, it hurts.”
He has worked at Robinsons for 30 years, has passed Singapore’s official retirement age, and would have continued working there were it not for the latest development.
“This is a department store with more than 100 years of history, but due to Covid-19 …” he said, turning off. “I have been with the company through its ups and downs. He was very busy, but very happy. “
Still, somehow he knew it might not last. “I’ve already prepared myself mentally. There are no tourists. We were closed for two or three months,” he said, referring to the second quarter of the year when most commercial activities stopped here to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Another sales associate who did not want to be identified, a 63-year-old woman who has been employed for 20 years, said while crying: “Customers are kinder compared to last time … we could learn from them to provide better service. for them “.
The promoters of both Robinson outlets also expressed sadness, even though they are not directly employed by the department stores.
“All the colleagues here get along very well, the customers are very nice,” said Ann Chia, 53, promoter of the Glenhill clothing brand.
Ms. Chia has been permanently stationed at the Raffles City branch for five to six years. He recalled his regulars, adding that one even sent him a phone text message in the morning to check if the store would actually be closed after reading the news.
A Nars makeup artist stationed at The Heeren, who wanted to be known only as Yee, said that she was a little sad about the closure, but was not completely surprised by the result.
“We work here, so we know the situation,” he said, referring to low sales. For example, people can no longer try makeup products, making it difficult to get new customers.
Other promoters said business had recovered, although it was calmer compared to pre-Covid-19 levels. They said there had been talk that the remaining stores might close after the Robinsons branch at the Jem Mall in Jurong closed in late August, but they weren’t sure until news came out on Friday.
Robinsons employs 175 people in Singapore. On Friday, the retailer announced that it had begun liquidating its two remaining stores here at The Heeren on Orchard Road and Raffles City Shopping Center on North Bridge Road. He started his business here in 1858 at Raffles Place.
It will also close its stores in Malaysia, which are located in Kuala Lumpur, at Shoppes at Four Seasons Place and The Gardens Mall.
The liquidation process of its Singapore stores will be overseen by Mr. Cameron Duncan and Mr. David Kim of KordaMentha, a corporate restructuring and advisory firm.
Robinsons said TODAY they will no longer maintain an online presence.
“In our experience, the online model does not work for department stores, due to individual brands wanting to maintain brand ownership online, as well as stiff competition from entire e-commerce sites,” said their spokesperson. .
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