Retailers are already gearing up for the opening after the lockdown, sometimes with their own concepts and ideas.
The domestic trade is looking forward to the end of the hard lockdown and the reopening of stationary non-food retail on December 7th. “The turnover in the Christmas business is decisive in order to compensate for the losses from the lockdown as well as possible and to be able to preserve all jobs in the long term. Every additional day on which the trade is closed in December fuels the dying of traders,” says Handelsverband managing director Rainer Will. In a joint broadcast, various companies present their approach after the lockdown.
The trade wants to continue to adhere to all requirements of the federal government to protect the health of the population. This includes compliance with the minimum distance, the appeal to pay cashless if possible, the nationwide mask requirement when shopping, the use of Plexiglas protective walls, the provision of disinfectants in the entrance area, more intensive cleaning intervals, regular communication about the distance rules and measures, as well as the limitation the number of customers in the shops to a maximum of one customer per 10 square meters of sales area.
“The most important thing is a well thought-out visitor management. We have very good means and tools to control the visitor routes and to comply with all safety measures of the Ministry of Health,” explains Alpaslan Deliloglu, Country Manager & CSO of Ikea Austria. “For example, in the event that queues form in front of our furniture stores, we will block areas of our parking spaces.”
More than 100 domestic shopping centers are also planning to make their infrastructure available for corona test roads and thus support the federal government's mass test strategy. “In the spirit of solidarity, we will be happy to provide the responsible health authorities with our parking spaces for Covid test streets free of charge,” confirms Jean-Erich Treu, owner of Leoben City Shopping (LCS).
Some shopping malls also want to offer their customers and employees – in close coordination with the Austrian Council of Shopping Places (ACSP), the authorities and local pharmacies – corona rapid tests in the entrance areas.
