Majority of the retail staff in Suva are still on reduced hours - Kumar

The President of the Suva Retailers Association, Vinay Kumar says they are lucky that employment in the capital city is better compared to some areas in the west but admits majority of the staff are still on reduced hours.

Kumar says at the moment it is just about survival for most of the businesses and it will be revealed as time goes about which ones are performing below par and are planning to close down.

He says according to a survey done in June this year, no one was planning to shut down but a few members such as restaurant and nightclub owners have closed since then.

Kumar says the biggest challenge for businesses at the moment is the high commercial rent and it is still unclear how long they will be able to cope with it.

Kumar says a few nightclubs have been forced to close because landlords were still demanding rent despite nightclubs being closed since March.

He adds they will have to wait and see for how long businesses landlords demand the full rent and if businesses are able to afford it.