Mall Entrepreneurs Still Optimistic About Reviving: Humans Are Social Beings Who Need Direct Interaction

Illustration. (Photo: Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Shopping centers or malls are one of the business sectors affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, since the implementation of the Emergency Community Activity Restriction (PPKM) until PPKM Level 4, shopping centers are not allowed to operate. As a result, there is a potential loss of IDR 5 trillion.

Chairman of the Indonesian Shopping Center Management Association (APPBI) Alphonzus Widjaja said that when the government imposed restrictions on community activities, the impact would not stop when the policy was completed.

For shopping centers, said Alphonzus, the impact of this prolonged PPKM will be felt at least three months after the policy is completed. Shopping center occupancy will not immediately return to normal as it was before the policy was implemented.

"The impact of the Emergency PPKM does not only stop when the use of the Emergency PPKM is stopped. The impact can take 3 to 4 months," he said in a discussion, quoted on Wednesday, July 28.

Then, what are the business prospects of the post-COVID-19 shopping center? Even though he is currently facing difficult conditions, Alphonzus said that the post-COVID-19 business prospects for shopping centers or malls are still very bright. Considering that the Indonesian people are a big market for shopping center entrepreneurs.

"So, in my opinion, shopping centers still have bright prospects. Apart from the market, but also because fundamentally the shopping center will attract visitors," he said.

Moreover, said Alphonzus, consumers of shopping centers are humans. Meanwhile, humans are social creatures who have the instinct to interact with each other directly.

"So humans need direct interaction. Where? In a shopping center, one of them. Therefore, in my opinion, a shopping center will still be needed. Want to meet colleagues, girlfriends, business friends at the shopping center. It's not possible at the hospital," he said.

However, said Alphonzus, currently the problem is that this shopping center is in a difficult condition. Moreover, no one knows when the COVID-19 pandemic will end.

"We still don't know when this pandemic will end, so what is needed is to survive until the conditions ahead, which I think are still very bright for shopping centers," he said.

Furthermore, said Alphonzus, as long as it lasts because of this long pandemic, shopping centers must be assisted by the government. He admitted, the government has been helping the community a lot, meaning to boost purchasing power and so on.

"But the shopping center companies are surviving on their own. Because the pandemic is so long that it needs help from the government. Actually, the assistance is simple, the important thing is that shopping centers don't add permanent burdens. Please reduce them," he explained.

For example, said Alphonzus, electricity and gas were removed while the minimum usage conditions were there. Thus, shopping centers only pay for electricity and gas according to the amount used.