Local interpretation of lockdown rules create confusion, retailers suffer

NEW DELHI: The Centre may have allowed stores selling non-essential products, including fashion and lifestyle, to open in most parts of the country but there’s wide variance in the local interpretation of rules that’s sparked crackdowns by law-enforcement agencies and led to general confusion.

Some can’t use air-conditioning even though summer temperatures are touching 40 degrees Celsius. Others are forced to restrict shoppers to five at a time in a space where many more can be accommodated while observing social distancing. The shops, having been shut for about two months, were allowed to open in the current phase of the Covid-19 lockdown that started May 18 but district magistrates and police have been issuing their own diktats on the ground based on the guidelines.

Local authorities have barred H&M stores in Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Dehradun from switching on the AC over concerns that the cooling system could spread the virus. But they can be used in its Delhi and Ahmedabad outlets to maintain the temperature at 26 degrees Celsius, said people with knowledge of the matter.


Challans for Using ACs
They also have to restrict the number of customers to five at any given time in outlets that are 16,000-20,000 sq ft in area spanning multiple floors, which can accommodate several dozens while maintaining distancing norms.

“At H&M, health and safety of our colleagues and customers is our top priority,” an H&M spokesperson said in an emailed response. “We are closely following the guidelines and recommendations shared by the local authorities.”

Arvind Fashion-owned Unlimited and Tata’s Westside outlets in Chennai are keeping the doors of their stores open and have arranged for large fans as they have been prevented from using the AC in the sweltering city. Some Levi’s stores in the city have also not been allowed to turn on ACs. Retailers said authorities have issued challans to stores in various cities for using ACs.

“As we are opening up, all kinds of issues are happening in various parts of the country,” said Kumar Rajagopalan, CEO of the Retailers Association of India, an industry grouping of more than 5,000 modern brands. “There are issues from different district in different states and then there are MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) clauses like five customers at a time in a store. These are making retailers go crazy.”

From stipulated timings for opening, odd-even operation of outlets to the shutting of large standalone stores because they were deemed to be malls, fashion and lifestyle retailers are facing various teething issues in different states.

Retailers said authorities in many parts of Hyderabad and Warangal took a few days to mark each store 1 or 2 in markets so that retailers can take odd-even turns to open.

In Delhi, markets are open for the whole week as long as retailers adhere to the odd-even rule. In Bengaluru, markets have to close on Sundays as part of anti-coronavirus measures.

“Everyone is interpreting the guidelines differently,” said the CEO of an Indian retail group asking not to be named.

Also in the Karnataka capital, some standalone stores of Lifestyle and Shoppers Stop department chains have failed to get permission to reopen as authorities have deemed them to be malls, sources said. The MHA guidelines stipulate that malls won’t be allowed to open for business yet.

“We have a 35,000 sq ft Unlimited store in Chennai that they are not allowing us to open,” said J Suresh, CEO of Arvind Fashions, that sells US Polo, Gap and Aeropostale among other labels. “They say it is too big a store and they are calling it a single-brand mall.”