{"id":28095,"date":"2020-05-19T09:35:23","date_gmt":"2020-05-19T07:35:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gruppoigd.it\/?p=28095"},"modified":"2020-06-23T16:14:19","modified_gmt":"2020-06-23T14:14:19","slug":"making-useful-purchases-safely-inside-the-shopping-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gruppoigd.it\/en\/making-useful-purchases-safely-inside-the-shopping-center\/","title":{"rendered":"Making useful purchases safely inside the shopping center"},"content":{"rendered":"

Subsequent to\u00a0the\u00a0lockdown,\u00a0IGD\u00a0moved quickly to guarantee that all the people working at its headquarters and shopping centers could continue to be operational and customers could continue to make\u00a0purchases in complete safety.<\/p>\n

The virus containment measures imposed\u00a0resulted in significant changes being made\u00a0to\u00a0the\u00a0operation and organization of shopping centers: changes which have been successfully implemented up until now.<\/p>\n

The uncertainty as to the\u00a0evolution and duration of the pandemic, however,\u00a0leads to broader reflections about the future of the shopping center. Will the business model change?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We spoke to\u00a0Daniele\u00a0Cabuli,\u00a0IGD\u2019s Chief Operating Officer, about it.<\/h4>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Were\u00a0<\/span><\/b>IGD\u2019s shopping centers in Italy open\u00a0<\/span><\/b>during\u00a0<\/span><\/b>the\u00a0<\/span><\/b>period<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/b>when the\u00a0<\/span><\/b>governmental restrictions to\u00a0<\/span><\/b>limit<\/span><\/b>\u00a0contagion<\/span><\/b>\u00a0were in effect<\/span><\/b>?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Certa<\/span>inly, for the entire time. \u00a0Our shopping centers never c<\/span>losed as they house retailers\u00a0<\/span>which<\/span>\u00a0provide esse<\/span>ntial goods and services. \u00a0The hypermarkets, supermarkets,\u00a0<\/span>tobacconists<\/span>, newsstands,\u00a0<\/span>optical\u00a0<\/span>and home improvement stores, as well as drugstores stayed open<\/span>. \u00a0Subsequently,\u00a0<\/span>children\u2019s<\/span>\u2019 shoes and apparel stores, as well as bookstores and\u00a0<\/span>office supply<\/span>\u00a0s<\/span>tores,\u00a0<\/span>were allowed to<\/span>\u00a0reopen.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What steps were taken to<\/span><\/b>\u00a0ensure that shopping centers continued to operate while guarantee<\/span><\/b>ing<\/span><\/b>\u00a0the health and safety of both\u00a0<\/span><\/b>the retailers and the shoppers?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In full compliance with the guidelines issued b<\/span>y the\u00a0<\/span>CNCC,\u00a0<\/span>Consiglio Nazionale\u00a0<\/span><\/i>dei<\/span><\/i>\u00a0Centri\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Commerciali<\/span><\/i>,<\/span>\u00a0of which IGD is a member, we immediately\u00a0<\/span>implemented\u00a0<\/span>a series of measures to promote social distancing. \u00a0<\/span>Beginning<\/span>\u00a0with the parking lots, we creat<\/span>e<\/span>d one way entrances and exits, with very clear information about the conduct t<\/span>o be\u00a0<\/span>adhered to<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>while\u00a0<\/span>in the shopping center: \u00a0this information was provided through the use of totems,\u00a0<\/span>billboards, intercoms<\/span>\u00a0in order to ensure the awar<\/span>eness of all our guests.\u00a0<\/span>We also installed\u00a0<\/span>thermo cameras which make it possible to take the temperature of the people entering the shopping center<\/span>. \u00a0We also modified the software used to count the number of people in the center\u00a0<\/span>by adding alerts which help us determine the maximum nu<\/span>mber of people who can enter in order to ensure safety\u00a0<\/span>and proper distancing (each person who enters should have 10 square meters of space)<\/span>. \u00a0 All of these new procedures, naturally, required more\u00a0<\/span>security. \u00a0We certainly did not overlook the\u00a0<\/span>san<\/span>itization of the properties. \u00a0In addition to the night sanitizations, cleaning with speci<\/span>al products was increas<\/span>ed<\/span>\u00a0including during the day, along with extraordinary maintenance of the air conditioning filters.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And what about the headquarters in\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Bologna<\/span><\/b>?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Already when the first cases of the e<\/span>pidemic were reported, we decided to prohibit travel and meetings. \u00a0Subsequently, the majority of the people who work at headquarters\u00a0<\/span>began to work from home. \u00a0We will continue to use smart working<\/span>, which we were able to organize guaranteeing\u00a0<\/span>complete IT safety for the remote work processes,\u00a0<\/span>at least\u00a0<\/span>until the crisis is over<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With the beginning of phase 2 of the lockdown,\u00a0<\/span>over the past few days some\u00a0<\/span>colleagues<\/span>\u00a0voluntarily\u00a0<\/span>went back to the office<\/span>, complying with the strict health and safety measures we established for the use of the comm<\/span>on areas. \u00a0We also installed plexiglass dividers between each work station and set precise l<\/span>imits on the maximum number of people that can be in s<\/span>hared\u00a0<\/span>areas<\/span>, depending on the size of the space.\u00a0<\/span>Thermal cameras will be used to take the temperature of a<\/span>ll individuals, employees or guests, entering the Bologna headquarters<\/span>, who<\/span>\u00a0will also be provided with masks and glove<\/span>s. \u00a0A\u00a0<\/span>series of controls ha<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0also b<\/span>een determined for t<\/span>he sales network\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>shifts have been established for staffing of the different structures.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How have your budgets for\u00a0<\/span><\/b>communication and marketing changed?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Currently all activities relating to events have been suspended and will resume only when the Phase 2 restrictions are lifted<\/span>. We dedicated a lot of resources to the information campaign used to explain\u00a0<\/span>safe shopping inside the shopping center. We also change<\/span>d the online marketing campaigns, focusing on specific profiles\u00a0<\/span>rather than on an indistinct\u00a0<\/span>target audience.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>We are,\u00a0<\/span>lastly, working hard to increase the awareness as to the role of the shopping center: \u00a0we are involved in the\u00a0<\/span>awareness campaign underway organized by the\u00a0<\/span>CNCC\u00a0<\/span>which targets customers, tenants, as well as government authorities<\/span>. \u00a0Our goal is\u00a0<\/span>to<\/span>\u00a0make people understand that shopping centers are safe, important and useful places for all.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The professional and systematic management of the spaces and the presence of specialized security personnel ensures that customers will be w<\/span>elcomed in a safe and<\/span>\u00a0controlled environment. \u00a0We believe that this\u00a0<\/span>sets a standard\u00a0<\/span>that other reta<\/span>il formats cannot guarantee<\/span>.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What is the future of the shopping center<\/span><\/b>?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I believe that the shopping ce<\/span>nter will continue its journey<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>It\u2019s a mature product that needs to be revitalized: we knew this already, when we, in fact, incr<\/span>eased the space dedicated to\u00a0<\/span>leisure and restaurants. \u00a0The social distancing imposed by the virus and the new work habits, with le<\/span>ss time spent in the office,\u00a0<\/span>call for<\/span>, on the one hand,\u00a0<\/span>a few changes to be\u00a0<\/span>made<\/span>\u00a0to the distribution of the space and the\u00a0<\/span>layout of the restaurants, but, on the other, open new windows of opportunity.<\/span>\u00a0We could, in fact, pr<\/span>opose the\u00a0<\/span>click&collect<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>models that we experimented with at the\u00a0<\/span>ESP<\/span>\u00a0center in\u00a0<\/span>Ravenna<\/span>. \u00a0Maybe today we could count on\u00a0<\/span>the increased\u00a0<\/span>support<\/span>\u00a0and cooperation\u00a0<\/span>of<\/span>\u00a0the retailers, taking advantage of the warehouse space freed up by the hypermarkets after they were downsized<\/span>, or<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>we could use the space currently occupied by stores\u00a0<\/span>facing the mall\u00a0<\/span>for the p<\/span>ick-up of merchandise\u00a0<\/span>purchased online. \u00a0We could also provid<\/span>e safe, sanitized and well equipped co-working\u00a0spaces\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0in\u00a0order to<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>support\u00a0<\/span>new remote working styles and the\u00a0<\/span>service industry\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>need for greater flexibility<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We have, therefore, a series of opportunities to redesign and\u00a0replan\u00a0the spac<\/span>e<\/span>\u00a0which does\u00a0<\/span>not\u00a0<\/span>require us<\/span>\u00a0to rethink our business model\u00a0<\/span>\u2026<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What\u00a0<\/span><\/b>would you like to see the Italian government do at this point<\/span><\/b>?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The hope is that\u00a0<\/span>the government will provide significant tax credits\u00a0<\/span>and relief\u00a0<\/span>for a vast range of the retail businesses present in our shopping ce<\/span>nters. \u00a0If the government is able to cover the lockdown period, we will then\u00a0<\/span>be able to tak<\/span>e it from there, taking the steps needed to support tenants during the relaunch phase<\/span>. \u00a0Up until\u00a0<\/span>now\u00a0<\/span>the number of lease terminations\u00a0<\/span>has been immaterial: the future\u00a0<\/span>will depend on the duration of the rest<\/span>rictions and the resources that the government will dedicate to supporting retail businesses. \u00a0We are ready to do our part<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Thanks\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><\/b>buon\u00a0lavoro.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Subsequent to\u00a0the\u00a0lockdown,\u00a0IGD\u00a0moved quickly to guarantee that all the people working at its headquarters and shopping centers could continue to be operational and customers could continue to make\u00a0purchases in complete safety.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":11277,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[216],"tags":[91],"class_list":["post-28095","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-up-close","tag-centri-commerciali-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gruppoigd.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28095","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gruppoigd.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gruppoigd.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gruppoigd.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gruppoigd.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28095"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.gruppoigd.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28095\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28722,"href":"https:\/\/www.gruppoigd.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28095\/revisions\/28722"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gruppoigd.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11277"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gruppoigd.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28095"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gruppoigd.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28095"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gruppoigd.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28095"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}