Officials of commercial centers in Dubai reported that the centers witnessed a remarkable demand from shoppers since they were allowed to work 100% of their full capacity, during the first week of this month, noting that increasing the confidence of customers in the preventive measures applied by the centers to confront the Corona virus, played An essential role in the gradual improvement in the demand for "malls".
They told «Emirates Today» that the clothing stores accounted for the largest share of sales, due to several things, most notably that the full opening of the centers coincided with the return of public and private sector employees to their workplaces, where some prefer to buy new clothes with the return, in addition to measuring And the replacement of clothes became permissible, after this was forbidden to start opening shopping centers.
Positive effects
In detail, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dubai Shopping Centers Group, Chairman of the “Reef Mall” and “Burjuman” Centers, Majid Saif Al Ghurair, said that allowing shopping centers (malls) in the emirate to operate 100% of their full capacity, had many positive effects that Significantly, finally, it emerged through indicators of the gradual improvement achieved by the centers in attracting dealers, especially with increasing confidence among shoppers in applying precautionary measures to counter the spread of the new Corona virus.
He added that with the growing demand for centers, it is keen to apply the best standards and preventive measures to ensure the safety of its customers, such as measuring the temperature of visitors and social divergence, in addition to obliging shoppers to wear masks, in addition to special initiatives that some centers have applied as sterilization gates to enhance safety measures.
Al Ghurair pointed out that most of the operations of buying and selling in "malls" during the recent period focused on clothing stores and not luxury stores, expecting an increase in rates of improvement in greater proportions during the coming period, especially with some canceling travel plans during the summer season.
Gradual improvement
For his part, Mohamed Nasser Khamas, CEO of Al-Ahly Holding Group and the Dubai Outlet Mall, said that the center has witnessed, finally, a gradual improvement in the shoppers 'reception, with customers' confidence in the intensive application of preventive measures, both with regard to measuring the temperature and obliging visitors With gags and social divergence, or for an initiative launched by the center, it is to install sterilization gates at the entrances to the center.
Khammas explained that the clothes and shoes stores were the highest in terms of turnout rates, especially that this period coincides with the full return of government institutions employees or employees in the private sector in Dubai, where some dealers prefer to buy new clothes and shoes with a return to work.
And he expected that turnout rates would improve in greater proportions in the coming weeks in shopping centers, especially with the onset of the summer season in which the "malls" will be an essential part in spending some time shopping.
Expectations
In turn, the director of public relations at the Arabian Center, Ahmed Youssef, confirmed that noticeable signs of improvement and growth in the demand for commercial centers were monitored during the past few days, after allowing the centers in Dubai to operate at full capacity, noting that the center implemented precautionary measures Contributed to the increase in turnout, while the installation of gates for sterilization is currently being studied.
He said that the pace of improvement is expected to increase in greater proportions during the coming period, especially with the lack of travel of many dealers, and the cancellation of summer trip plans under the current circumstances, in addition to the end of the school season for students over the age of 12, which will raise the demand in large proportions on « Malls ».
Great request
Youssef pointed out that during the recent period, the largest demand was for clothing stores that took the highest share of sales, followed by food and consumer goods stores, then shoe and leather bags, while luxury goods and electronics were the least in demand.
He explained that there are several things that contributed to increasing the demand for clothing stores, most notably that allowing commercial centers at full capacity coincided with the return of employees to work, as most employees want to buy new clothes with the resumption of their work from offices, in addition to that the processes of measuring or replacing clothes It became permissible, after it was forbidden during the first stage of opening centers, in addition to the fact that the closing period was relatively long, which resulted in the non-purchase of clothes during that period.
Centers attributed the increase in clothing sales to being allowed to be measured and replaced after they were forbidden.