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WITH a series of positive Covid-19 infection cases detected in five shopping malls in the Klang Valley, we could be dealing with the risk of a new wave among urban dwellers, who are primarily Malays.
It is encouraging to learn that the four affected shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur and one in Selangor have taken appropriate preventive measures, such as sanitizing affected areas in the facility and testing exposed and self-quarantined employees.
However, the fact that the virus has spread to these regularly frequented areas is a cause for concern.
Given that there is a possibility that there is a super-propagator among us, the threat of new urban clusters is a threatening possibility.
Retail transactions in physical establishments are one of the income generators for the national economy. As one of the most vibrant industries, a drag on retail sales will affect our economic recovery during this pandemic.
A drop in shopper traffic will lead to a massive drop in ring sales for retailers. A contraction in retail sales, in turn, will cause a drop in this sector if the negative effect continues.
As it stands now, retail sales have been lackluster, especially on larger purchases, including kitchen appliances, let alone brand-name products. The Malaysians have remained conservative in their spending.
Retail Group Malaysia (RGM) said the market has turned into a “bloodbath” as retail sales fell 30.9% in the second quarter of this year, making this period the worst in 33 years.
“Taking into account the latest growth reviews and market conditions, RGM has revised the retail sales growth rate for the full year from negative 8.7% to negative 9.3%. This is the fourth revision in the annual growth rate of the Malaysian retail industry, ”RGM said in a statement recently.
We have just launched a Malaysian product buying campaign to boost the retail market in physical establishments and online platforms.
This commitment to boost the retail sector at the national level could suffer a severe blow with the detection of positive cases in shopping centers.
According to the December 2019 Preliminary Report on the Wholesale and Retail Census of the Department of Statistics, Malaysia’s retail trade had 870,814 paid full-time and part-time employees in 2018.
We need to ensure a sufficient influx into shopping malls for the continuous revival of the livelihoods of retail business operators and their employees.
Stronger controls can now be expected from authorities to ensure adherence to standard operating procedures in shopping malls.
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