CEBU, Philippines — As SM Supermalls reopen its malls in Cebu to help restart the economy, it has put in place necessary measures to suit the new normal environment.
“We have reopened our malls in support of our LGUs who would like to restart the economy and spur consumption,” said SM Supermalls president Steven Tan.
According to Tan, SM has rolled out several measures that are aligned with the standards of the IATF, DTI, DOH and the individual LGUs to ensure the safety of customers while they are inside our malls.
“All of our employees and front liners will undergo an antibody rapid test to ensure that they have not been infected. Various PPEs such as masks and face shields will also be provided to our employees,” Tan said adding that the company also is employing health measures like temperature checks at every mall entrance, placement of alcohol dispensers at entrances, and a strict implementation of social distancing measures inside our malls.
“Our elevators are only for special publics - if PWDs, seniors or pregnant women need to go to clinics or need essential services, only they can use our elevators at 50 percent capacity. Escalators - should be two steps away from the person in front of you and in your back. Always wear a mask because we won’t let you in the mall without it,” he explained.
“We fully understand the effects brought by this pandemic especially to our tenants, which is why we have decided, early on, to waive our tenant rental fees during the quarantine period. We are also allowing rental concessions for them during the transition period to help them recover,” he assured.
In addition, SM malls, including those that are operating in Cebu also partnered with tenants for takeout and delivery and other online services such as personal shopper and drive-thru/pick-up services to help them keep their businesses afloat.
“As we know, this pandemic has evidently changed the way people behave, interact, and consume information as they now transition to online socialization. SM’s online programs have been around for many years and it has gotten a lot more traction since the ECQ,” he said.
The SM Store, as well as other tenants are also doing online takeout and delivery services to adapt to the changing landscape.
At this time, Tan said e-commerce is really a valuable tool to serve its shoppers who cannot go out of their homes and are carefully planning how to continue to create online services that complement physical spaces.
“Our goal right now is to make sure that we provide the needs of every Filipino while assuring them that SM is with them in this global health crisis,” Tan said.