December 8: Unable to pay the rent of shopping malls, traders have started looking for renting areas available at cheaper rates. Citing the coronavirus pandemic and the impact of the lockdown, the traders of big shopping malls have started looking for cheaper areas for conducting their businesses.

Due to the effect of the pandemic, the businesses of big shopping malls and supermarkets in the main business centers of Kathmandu have decreased by about 75 percent. The traders are hard hit by the expensive rent of the shopping malls and supermarkets. Therefore, they believe that leaving the shopping malls as soon as possible and finding a cheaper place to do their business would bring them some relief.

According to the treasurer of the Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sushma Mahara, some traders have abandoned their businesses while many have left malls and started looking for cheaper spaces available for rent.

“Even though the entire business was halted due to the six-month long lockdown, the traders were compelled to pay the rent. But there is still no business. We don’t know for how long we have to do business in loss. So, the traders have no option than to leave the mall and look for cheap places to run their business,” she said.

According to Mahara, it is also the responsibility of the mall operators to support the traders and bear the burden of loss equally.

Due to various other facilities including car parking, the minimum rent inside the malls is Rs 50,000 to Rs 200,000.

Traders say it is unfortunate for them to flee the business due to their inability to pay high rent and to leave the place where they have been doing business for years.