As cases rise, Covid-19 testing could dent Holi sales for Mumbai malls

Malls and shopping centres in the financial capital will have to contend with rapid antigen tests from Monday.
 
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has set a daily target of at least 400 rapid antigen tests per mall as Covid-19 cases rise steadily in the city, said civic officials.
 
The impact, say executives at the city’s key malls, will be immediate. “Certainly, there will be an impact on sales. While the recovery rate in terms of sales was around 85-90 per cent in February, we have seen it stagnate in the last two to three weeks. Random testing could deter people from stepping out even further. They may decide to postpone their purchases,” said Rajneesh Mahajan, chief executive officer (CEO), Inorbit Malls.

 

This view has also been endorsed by Mukesh Kumar, CEO, Infiniti Malls. Kumar said, “While it is easier to regulate the organised retail sector, violations are greater in marketplaces. We have implemented the Covid-19 guidelines issued by the local authorities from time to time and will continue to do so.”
 
As the Holi weekend nears, a stagnation in sales is the last thing that mall owners and operators want.
 
A recent survey by the Retailers Association of India (RAI), an apex body of offline retailers, said that categories such as consumer durables and quick-service restaurants have shown improvement in sales, growing by 15 per cent and 18 per cent, respectively, in February, over the same period last year.

 
Categories such as beauty, wellness, personal care and jewellery are also showing an uptick in terms of sales. Had Maharashtra and Mumbai not reported a surge in Covid-19 cases in March, then the weekend from Saturday (March 27) to Monday (March 29) would have been the third important retail occasion this calendar year after Republic Day and Valentine’s Day.
 
Experts said that steady improvement in sales seen in January and February was due to a bump-up in consumption that occasions such as R-Day and V-Day provided. Retailers from apparels to electronics, beauty, footwear, jewellery and lifestyle used bundled offers, gift packs and deep discounts to woo shoppers into stores during the two occasions.

 
Services were personalised, with mailers, messages, campaigns and calls going to loyal customers. This time around, however, retailers are yet to gear up for the Holi weekend, admitting privately that they remain unsure how business will be in the wake of the new Covid-19 restrictions in the city.
 
Apart from malls and shopping complexes, BMC proposes to undertake rapid antigen tests at railway stations, bus stops, hotels, restaurants and marketplaces from Monday in a bid to curb crowding.
 
The Maharashtra government has already issued Covid guidelines in two tranches in a week. It capped the number of people to half in cinemas, restaurants, auditoriums and private offices, apart from banning social, political and religious gatherings.

 
The state government had also capped the number of people to 50 for weddings and 20 for funerals.