Greek retailer Jumbo calls for 'coherent' government plan to reopen shops

Jumbo SA

11/01/2021 10:26

ATHENS, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Greece's biggest toy and festive
goods retailer Jumbo  BABr.AT  urged the government on Monday to
come up with a comprehensive plan to reopen the retail sector
which has been badly hit by coronavirus restrictions.
    Jumbo, which also sells homeware and operates 52 stores in
Greece and 28 in Romania, Bulgaria and Cyprus, said sales fell
18% in 2020 in what it has previously called a "lost year", as
lockdowns during the crucial Easter and Christmas periods hit
the sector.
    In its trading update, Jumbo made a plea to the government
to announce "a coherent, joint plan for the equal reopening of
all retailers."
    Retailers account for about 11% of Greece's economic output
and employ one in five workers. 
    Greece, in a partial lockdown since November, extended some
COVID-19 lockdown curbs last week until Jan. 18, including the
temporary closure of non-essential shops and the so-called
"Click Away" shopping, where buyers place their orders online or
by phone and then book a date to go and collect them.
 urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N2JJ3YN 
    In the run-up to Christmas, authorities allowed "Click Away"
to help retailers recoup part of their lost sales but banned it
last week after infections in the country receded only slowly.
    Echoing Jumbo's worries, the Hellenic Confederation of
Commerce and Entrepreneurship, which represents about 283 retail
associations, has warned that keeping retail stores shut for too
long risks "a pandemic" of closures this year to the benefit of
multinational and big domestic groups.

 (Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Susan Fenton)
 ((angeliki.koutantou@thomsonreuters.com; +30 210 3376436;
Reuters Messaging: angeliki.koutantou.reuters.com@reuters.net))