Chain stores fear flop after relaunch
From April 27, certain non-food stores will reopen. This is the assumption of the top representatives of business associations. Nine industries have submitted a concept, as the Handelszeitung writes in its current issue.
But now skepticism is spreading among chain stores like H&M, Ikea and Dosenbach-Ochsner. They are driven by one question: "What if we open and no one comes?", quotes the Handelszeitung the Director of the Association of Swiss Branch Companies, Severin Pflüger.
Fear of infection among consumers too great
Foreign examples show that consumers tend to stay at home for fear of infection, even when stores are open. Retail outlets there still generate 30 to 40 percent of their previous sales. But this means that the vast majority of businesses cannot cover their costs. This also applies to hairdressers and restaurants, say industry experts to the Handelszeitung.
Pflüger calls on the Federal Council to act: "Only if the authorities clearly state that under the new hygiene rules, the risk of infection when shopping is greatly minimized, will the economic reboot succeed."
