Friday 29 Mar 2024
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KUALA LUMPUR (April 24): Sunway Malls said it is granting non-essential retailers the flexibility to operate shorter hours, in anticipation of a longer recovery period after the Movement Control Order (MCO) period ends.

Under the flexi-hour initiative, retailers will be able to operate for eight hours daily rather than 12 hours, which translates to savings of 120 hours over 30 days.

The mall operator said it will commence a pilot test of the flexible hours for one month, and it may be extended for a further two months if the move is seen to be effective.

Sunway Malls said the shorter operating hours will allow better optimisation in terms of staffing arrangement as retailers will only require employees to be working for one shift instead of two, and that retailers would be able to save a half month’s worth of rent.

This will enable retailers to lower their operating costs, while public confidence gradually returns upon the end of the MCO in the future.

Sunway Malls, however, will continue to operate as usual from 10am to 10pm daily, along with essential retailers including supermarkets, pharmacies, convenience stores and food and beverage outlets.

“We foresee that after the resumption of business post MCO, there will be a gestation period before full recovery takes place.

“We understand too that the new normal of social distancing and absence of mass gathering will have the greatest impact for the first three months post MCO. Taking cognisance of this, we have to accord some degree of business flexibility to our business partners,” said Sunway Malls and Theme Parks CEO HC Chan.

Previously, the group also granted rent waivers to non-essential retailers during the onset of the MCO and had taken steps to ease credit control for retailers.

Sunway Malls said it will intensify sanitisation activities and temperature screening post-MCO across all its malls, to ensure the safety of its visitors, business partners and employees.

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