What impact has the coronavirus pandemic had on your industry, and how are you responding?
Rowan Hodge CEO, Andersens Floor Coverings
“Customers have always wanted retailers to make their lives easier, more convenient, safer, more comfortable, more accessible and more seamless.
“The present crisis just makes these desires plainer. It is always urgent to be open when your customer needs you. It has refocused us on making sure we are. Customers have always wanted the best advice, competitive pricing, an extensive range, insights on colours, textures and trends. What the crisis has forced us to do is to accelerate our adaptation of an old business, in an overly ‘same’ industry, to try to give our customers all that they want. As a business mentor of mine once told me, all businesses should redesign themselves – as if they were brand new – once in a while, to make sure they are still designed to give the customer what they now want.”
Karen Cvornyek President and Regional Managing Principal, Asia, B+H Architects
“The workplace has been turned upside down. Taking B+H as an example, remote work and hot desking have been fully implemented in our Asia offices from the beginning of the crisis. Companies are quickly evolving; new effective ways of communicating and software that has existed for quite some time is now being deployed swiftly and adopted eagerly by managers, employees and clients alike.
“Prior to the pandemic the governing trend within workplace design was to make work feel like home. This trend reversed during the crisis when we had to adapt our homes to function as our workplace. Our homes are not typically set up to accommodate the work function, but we are learning something important – although most of us are missing our colleagues, faceto-face collaboration, our ergonomic office chairs and large computer monitors, we are discovering that we can be incredibly productive working from home, that we do not miss the hours lost in commuting, and appreciate the extra time with our families and hobbies.”
Stephane Pierron
President, Chip Mong Retail
“Apart from the serious health concerns, it also affects the business community, and not just locally; Cambodia imports most of what it consumes from the regional markets, which are also affected badly. Orders for equipment and fixtures from abroad are affected as overseas factories close.
“Crowds are thinning out, which malls fundamentally thrive on. Needless to say, foot traffic has declined drastically, resulting in a ripple effect on the tenants in the malls who now find their businesses are no longer sustainable. They can’t pay their rents, and landlords like us have to offer substantial rent relief. Our malls still operate as we want to retain our hard-working staff. Keeping them healthy is our priority, especially the front-liners – we have invested in PPE for them and are constantly educating them and ensuring they follow strict hygiene protocol.”