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Even though retail activity appears to be slowly recovering as the economy reopens, businesses formerly frequented by migrant workers in areas like Chinatown and Little India continue to bleed, with workers choosing to shop and eat closer to where they stay, which generates stores in central areas. to shutter as a result.
Last week’s checks found empty stores and store owners wondering when things will return to normal, if they ever will.
A visit to the People’s Park Complex on Wednesday and Friday revealed six to seven closed units on each floor with signs that they were for rent. They included a money transfer shop, two mobile phone and SIM card recharge shops and various shops.
Tenants at the People’s Park Complex, Hong Lim Complex, and other locations in Chinatown said they had been badly affected by the coronavirus pandemic and that business had not recovered even after the phased reopening in phases one and two.
“We thought the influx would increase, but our customers are mainly migrant workers from China and many of them are no longer coming,” said Chris Tan, in his 30s, who runs a mobile phone store in the People’s Park Complex.
A former business owner in his 60s, who wanted to be known only as Mr. Wong, told ST that he had closed his grocery store in Chinatown after a decade there because it was “too difficult to survive.”
“You can’t do business when no one is coming to buy anything. Every day, you bleed money,” said Wong, who said many of his customers were from different parts of China who came for cheap sundries and household products. that it mattered. directly from China.
Realtor Victor Han told ST that he had seen five “unprecedented” units in Chinatown vacated in the last month alone.
“It’s a tough situation. I’m not sure I can find tenants quickly because even with landlords who can accept slightly lower rents, it’s not like people are lining up to set up brick-and-mortar stores during a pandemic,” Han said.
A check by ST in Little India found that workers are still staying away even if the virus has been cleared. The popular Mustafa Center was nearly empty on a Monday through Friday night, while grocery stores and food outlets only had one or two customers.
On August 27, Mustafa told his workers that he would not renew the contracts of some foreign employees, that they would be sent home with a plane ticket and a month’s salary.
“All these products could end up rotting if they are not sold,” said Raju Ravichandran, 31, who runs a shop that sells fruits and vegetables.
He said his position was once heavily frequented by migrant workers, but that the business had not recovered to pre-Covid-19 levels. You now consider yourself “lucky” if you get 10 clients a day.
“I’m not sure how long we can stay open if the crowd doesn’t come back.”
ST also spoke with street vendors and operators of food establishments near Geylang, where migrant workers used to go in search of good and cheap food.
“Now we close several hours early because we don’t see the crowds we used to see,” said the owner of a porridge stand in Geylang, who gave her name only as 68-year-old Madam Tong. “We used to have groups of migrant workers. To eat. It was a good deal, but since they have been locked in the dormitories, we have lost that customer base for now.”
But the losses in central areas have been the gains of small businesses that provide similar essential services in central areas near the dormitories for migrant workers. These reported a welcome rebound in business with workers choosing to shop closer to bedrooms.
Staff at grocery stores, food outlets, and SIM card stores near dormitories in Kaki Bukit, Tai Seng, Bukit Batok, and Jurong East told ST that since last month’s announcements that the migrant workers could leave the dormitories to run errands, business had improved.
“Some of the workers told me that they would rather go to a store near their dormitories than go to the Mustafa Center or Chinatown, since the prices are comparable and they can find the spices they need in my store,” Ramesh said. Singh, in his 50s, who runs a grocery store in Jurong West. He said his store has seen a 20 percent increase in sales to foreign workers, particularly from Bangladesh.
“If I can serve them and keep my business going, it is beneficial for everyone.”
Migrant worker Xu Yujie, 35, from Guangxi in southern China, told ST that he is now sponsoring a money transfer service in the Jurong area and buying sundries at neighborhood grocery stores near her bedroom, instead of going to Chinatown.
“Although we can now leave the bedrooms to run personal errands, I am very afraid of being exposed to the virus,” he said.
“The main reason for going to Chinatown was to socialize and spend time with friends over a meal, but it will be a long time before we can do it again.”
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