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The companies in non-food retail request that the owners of commercial centers agree to new deals by which there would be zero rent during the coronavirus pandemic, threatening that, if otherwise, they will boycott the reopening of stores.
"It's a desperate plea, because we are in a desperate situation. There are owners of commercial centers who understand the extraordinary and unforeseen conjecture we are going through, and have adopted the correct attitude for dialogue and obvious commercial solutions. There are, however, many owners that force the complete payment of rent while our members have their activity suspended. It is not morally, nor contractually fair, because the non-food retailers could not benefit from the respective spaces. If there is not a quick understanding that we cannot cover such costs we will head towards collapse, and the negative social and economic effects will be extremely large," said Cosmin Savu-Cristescu, executive secretary of RORETAIL.
In this context, the Retailers of Romania Owners' Organization launches a public appeal to the representatives of commercial centers to not force the collapse of the non-food retail industry's collapse and to agree, at the level of the entire retail industry, to a new provisional commercial understanding (New Deal) between the non-food retailers and the representatives of commercial centers, focused on two main elements: zero rent for the period of shops' activity suspension and the individual negotiation of rents as a percentage of sales, following the opening of stores.
"The non-food retailers plan to not open their stores and not participate in the reopening of commercial centers in Romania if their requests to establish a new type of commercial relationship do not receive a favorable response," the organization says.
According to the quoted source, up to now, around 2,000 stores, representing approximately a quarter of the total stores in commercial centers in Romania, have signed the RORETAIL appeal.
The Retailers of Romania Owners' Organization is an association founded in 2014, which brings together over 1,000 stores in Romania (national and international brands) and the members of which have over 12,000 employees.
