Service with a (masked) smile
Germany reopens stores amid coronavirus pandemic
BERLIN —The eyes of the retail world are on Germany, the first major Western economy to start reopening bigger stores.
Companies large and small, which have been hammered by the COVID-19 pandemic the world over, are eager to see how consumers respond as they emerge from lockdown. Are they too worried to go out shopping, or primed to unleash pent-up demand?
Global chains including H&M, Adidas, IKEA and Puma are trialling pandemic procedures which will also be used in other markets.
Issues include how to keep customers at a safe distance apart, with changing rooms a particular headache. Also how best to protect staff and disinfect surfaces, among other questions.
Early signs show some cause for optimism in Europe’s biggest economy, which allowed stores of up to 800 square metres to open again last week provided they adhere to social distancing and hygiene rules.
Germany’s IfW economic institute said within days shopper traffic in major cities bounced back to about half of what was usual for this time of year. The HDE national retailers association said stores made about 40 per cent of their normal turnover. Most customers are respecting distancing rules, according to HDE, which is lobbying for all stores to be allowed to reopen next week.
“I think they should open many more of the shops,” said Marius Fahner, shopping at Berlin’s central Alexanderplatz. “You need to give people the chance to live their lives and that can only happen if the shops are open again.”
Tesfom Ghebreab, manager of German sportswear brand Puma’s flagship Berlin store, said he was pleased to be back at work but it was hard to get used to wearing a paper face mask all day, changing it every few hours, and plastic gloves.
The store saw more than half its usual daily number of shoppers in its first few days open, he said, reinforcing the IfW findings.
“We definitely miss the tourists but it has been better than expected so far. Loyal customers are saying it is nice to be able to shop again and have been buying more,” Ghebreab told Reuters.