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Retailers Association of India (RAI) said formal retail, malls, and shopping centres across states need to be allowed to reopen in a controlled manner as these are essential for the revival of the economy from the impact of COVID-19 pandemic. Economic revival is intertwined with the revival of retail businesses, especially large formal retail spaces, which are the drivers of consumption, RAI said in a statement.
“The only way of getting rid of the economic impact of the pandemic and saving livelihoods is by everybody participating in sharing of the cost burden and acting to revive retail business activity,” it said.
RAI Chief Executive Officer Kumar Rajagopalan said Haryana has already allowed the opening of malls with restricted time from 10 am to 6 pm and a cap on visitors of one visitor per 25 sq ft area.
“This is a good move and recognition of malls as controlled spaces will be a positive step as they support the livelihood of thousands of employees. We hope other states will also follow the same method when opening up and support the economy,” he said adding “we believe that formal retail spaces like malls have the ability to operate as a controlled environment”.
RAI said formal retail spaces such as malls and shopping centres play an extremely important role in the economy due to their contribution to the exchequer in the form of taxes and the people they employ.
