Staring at huge losses, malls seek to reopen as Mumbai begins unlock

Shop timings extended but formal spaces still shut, say industry players

Some of Mumbai’s top malls are asking for organised shopping spaces to be reopened even as shop timings will be extended in the financial capital in June. As part of “unlock” programme, the Maharashtra government on Sunday extended the timing of essential stores by three hours in districts with low positivity rates. Mumbai is part of this list. Delivery of non-essential items will be permitted from June 1.

But mall owners argue that keeping formal spaces out may not be the right approach to take. “In the first wave of Covid-19, malls reopened later (in Mumbai) even as non-essential retail shops