Retailer down but not out
Company downsizes to survive pandemic
MAHESH Syndicate has had to reduce their operations to survive the pandemic.
According to general manager Vinay Kumar, they had a store on Marks St for 26 years which is no longer in operation.
“In August this year (2021), during the midst of the second wave, we downsized so we could survive through this pandemic and manage ourselves better,” he said.
“And that’s what we’re trying to do right now.
“We’re trying to survive and manage ourselves right through and then as soon as things improve, we will be getting back to opening other shops.”
Mahesh Syndicate now operated only two shops as, according to Mr Kumar, they had to also reduce their workforce by nearly 40 per cent during the pandemic.
He said the company was performing averagely, adding this year could be compared with the past few years.
The rise of COVID-19 cases was also a concern for the businessman.
“We have seen a bit of a drop this week and last week because the rumour mills have already started.
“And the rumour mills discourage people from coming into town.
“One thing I find is that people don’t want to show their vaccination cards or wear a mask or have the careFIJI app when they come in the store and we’re very strict on it,” said Mr Kumar.
He added a lot of his workers complained they couldn’t get customers as they were not complying with the measures in place.
He said customers would say other shops allowed them inside except for Mahesh Syndicate which was very strict.
“What do we do in that but we have to follow protocol and our staffs’ health is very important.”
Mr Kumar said the situation was very tough for the business, however, they had managed to survive.
“Because there’s no other way, I think many businesses of our size had to really rethink their strategies and we are online now a lot.”
Online sales picked up during the lockdowns, however, according to Mr Kumar, people in Fiji still preferred to shop in person.
“In Fiji, people are still afraid to buy online, that has changed but it will take a while for them to get used to that because they really want to touch the product, they want to see it.”
He said they would be going into the new year with hope and optimism.
“We’ve got hope and optimism and then we can go from there because at this stage, neither you nor I can predict what will happen in the next two or three months.”
The company had been in operation for 50 years and, according to Mr Kumar, they expected to be here for 50 years more.