Casablanca Clothing Retailers Urge Government to Reopen Stores Before Eid al-Fitr

Ready-to-wear merchants in Casablanca are concerned about the resumption of their activities before the celebration of Eid al-Fitr, reports L’Économiste. In this sense, a collective of six associations grouping retailers and wholesalers from Derb Sultan and Garage Allal, have written to the competent services of the Ministry of the Interior.

In their correspondence, they express their difficulties in dealing with "multiple charges: rents, salaries, electricity bills, suppliers..." "If nothing is done, the crisis risks worsening, especially since the Covid-19 Economic Monitoring Committee has not included the problems of merchants on the agenda," they warn.

"We operate a seasonal business and collections are prepared at least 6 months in advance. If we don’t open in time, this will result in huge financial losses for the sector," they say, asking to be "treated on an equal footing with the other stores allowed to open".

In a press release dated May 6, they explain that the stakes are huge for organized retail, with store networks that have had no activity since March 18. "This represents more than 900 stores and about 40,000 jobs," the statement said.

In addition, the group pleads for "the cancellation of rents during the period of forced closure", as provided for by law in the current case of force majeure and "the adaptation of the rent to the actual level of activity upon resumption".