Around 50% stores operational; footfall significantly down: D-mart

Avenue Supermarts, which owns and operates retail chain D-mart, on Friday said operations of half of its stores are closed, following the directions issued by authorities amid the lockdown.

The company is retailing only essential items from the operating stores and average footfall is "significantly lower than usual" due to several restriction imposed by the authorities, Avenue Supermarts said in an update on business operation to bourses.

"Nearly 50 per cent of our stores remain closed for operations based on directive by the local authorities,"it said.

Moreover, in the operating stores, footfall depends on the movement and timing restrictions enforced by the local authorities and "Overall, they are significantly lower than usual", it added.

"We continue to sell daily use essential items such as grocery and FMCG products from all our stores and have stopped sale of non-essential items (General Merchandise and Apparel)," Avenue Supermarts said.

D-Mart has also commenced e-commerce home delivery and bulk deliveries to large housing complexes across majority of its stores during the first week of April.

"Customers who have used the service have deeply appreciated these initiatives, however, the sales from these channels are inconsequential," said Avenue Supermarts, adding that this is to "only manage the current lockdown situation".

The Mumbai-based company, has presence in 206 locations through D-mart stores.

India is presently going through an unprecedented complete lockdown of three weeks, ending on April 14, to prevent the spread of the virus.