FOOTWEAR SALES IN COLOMBIA. Shopping centers open doors to customers
On May 28th, the Mandatory Preventive Isolation was established from June 1st to next July 1st, through Decree 749 of the Colombian government.
Within the provision, 43 activities were excluded, including the opening of shopping centers, important points for sales of footwear and clothing.
The information communicated by the Presidency of the Republic also detailed the ability of the mayors to cancel excepted cases if circumstances require it, after communicating to the Ministry of the Interior.
As announced by the President of Colombia, Iván Duque Márquez, through the official site, the shopping centers restarted their activities with up to 30% of their capacity and under protocols that include strict control and security measures.
An initiative prior to the government announcement was carried out in Medellín, where three shopping malls were reopened. The test experience took place between May 25th and 31st, after a partial closure of around 60 days.
The test allowed the restart of activities in 300 stores, from a total of 498, allowing 2,200 workers to return to normal duties. This situation allowed the evaluation of security measures implemented and take necessary precautions to perfect protocols.
From FENALCO Antioquia, the entity that groups merchants in the region, announced that as a result, during the first 5 days, 37 thousand visits were reported with expectations of 25 thousand visitors every next weekend.
From the Association of Shopping Centers of Colombia they reported that the domestic sector has a total of 6 million square meters of retail space and employs 200 thousand people. They also noted that in 2019 the sales volume was 46 trillion pesos (more than12 million dollars).
During the coronavirus stay, 37,700 stores remain without activity, which represents 91.8% of a total of 41,108 stores. Vehicle traffic shrank by 80% and people in an average of 76.5%, according to reports from the newspaper La República.
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