Khun Paphitchaya Suwandee, Managing Director of Megabangna said, “The COVID-19 outbreak has been a challenge for retail businesses everywhere. It has changed the way we live our lives on a daily basis, shifted consumer behavior, and propelled our entire existence into a rapid and inevitable “New Normal”. For over 8 years now, Megabangna been much more than a shopping center— it has always been a meeting place of fun and happy experiences for the community, families and friends. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have witnessed the many changes that Thai people have undergone and commend their resilience to adjust themselves to a new level of normalcy. Although it seemed difficult at first, everyone in the community has been able to adapt very well to this new lifestyle with a heightened sense of awareness regarding the importance and necessity of social responsibility. Nowadays, people always wear face masks. They have alcohol gel handy, practice social distancing and follow the rules and regulations that we have set forth. On a positive note, as we reopened our doors on 17 May 2020, Megabangna has seen over 97% of our retailers back in operation with over 80% of our customers returning to the shopping center to drive sales in our major outlets to that of normal and above normal levels comparing to when we first temporarily closed a few months ago.”
Social Distancing Expert in the “New Normal” Era
In addition to what we have already prepared for a safe and successful re-welcoming to Megabangna, we have proactively changed our operational practices to achieve our goals of delivering fun and safe experiences to our customers in this time of the “New Normal”. COVID-19 has taught us a lesson about hygiene and why it is so important to keep everyone safe and healthy. We have therefore, focused our efforts on cleanliness and we have strengthened our hygiene measures throughout the entire center. Working closely with government agencies for the latest health and safety regulations, our own measures for increased hygiene, cleanliness, safety and convenience for customers are at the core of our "Social Distancing Expert" campaign. Within the campaign itself are "Social4Carings" guidelines which focus on the practice of cleanliness and good hygiene for all customers including: (1) Social Distancing (2) Social Caring for Customers (3) Social Self-Care for Staff and (4) Social Care for Community.
"Megabangna has been in constant communication with our partners and tenants throughout the temporary closure of the shopping center up until the reopening on May 17, 2020. We have provided the latest updates on the ever-changing situation and have also devised many supportive campaigns to ease the challenges of the current situation for our community of businesses. This is a difficult time indeed and our partners and tenants play an integral role at Megabangna. To help each other to move forward and grow together, the Megabangna Re-opening Playbook was developed and distributed as an center-wide guideline for all of our tenants to prepare and follow set safety measures prior to the reopening of the shopping center. With everyone taking part and adhering to the same safety protocol, we can offer the best and safest services to all our customers", said Khun Paphitchaya Suwandee.
Partnering with Tenants for Inclusive Strategies
Our strategies (in collaboration with tenants) for the “New Normal” include:
Partnering with Food Online Delivery Platforms for Food and Beverage Tenants: Megabangna, the largest food destination of eastern Bangkok, has over 165 restaurants to offer. During the temporary closure, the "Pick Up Point" was added to better facilitate all customer orders and to provide convenience for food delivery staff. Partnering up with Grab Food, customers can receive special discount codes when redeeming Megabangna Smile Rewards through the Megabangna Application. Another campaign that was launched was the Mega Eat @ Home with LINE Man for an 80-baht delivery fee discount on a single order from participating restaurants. Efforts to better service our customers and tenants are never ending as we constantly work with other Food Online Delivery Platforms for the latest and greatest food offers and promotions.Omni Channel Strategy to Connect Online and Shop: For smooth and seamless shopping experiences, "Click & Collect" has been added to support our tenants in every category. Combining retail and logistics into this innovative strategy, our customers can choose and shop online, then pick up their purchase via the Megabangna "Drive Thru" to reduce store congestion and provide the most convenience for our customers. Social media support is offered via the Megabangna official Facebook page, Website, Application and all other media within the shopping center to help promote products and services for increased tenant sales.
Renovation and Extension in Progress for Megacity
Megacity, the newest mixed-use development project on Bangna-Trad Road, is an all-inclusive “city-plan” development that will be home to residential properties, office towers, schools and parks with Megabangna at a center of it all to fulfill every lifestyle. Despite the COVID-19 outbreak and the change in economic conditions, Megabangna is still moving forward with renovations as initially planned in order to deliver new experiences and fun for the reopening of the shopping center. Architectural renovation was completed in April and improvements to our Food Walk with a Scandinavian Playground concept are underway. This new area features a very large playground for children with a stream valley and sand dune in a lush, natural and green atmosphere for families to enjoy and spend time together. Progress for this new concept is at 50% and scheduled completion is this September. Continued efforts to enhance fun and safe shopping experiences at Megabangna are evident as the renovation budget for the shopping center is approximately 800 Million Baht.
With a dedicated budget of over 1 Billion Baht for parking capacity enhancement, construction of the new 8-storey parking building is still ongoing. Completion on this structure is expected in early 2021, adding 2,000 parking spaces for customers to enjoy. In total, Megabangna parking capacity will be able accommodate over 12,000 cars.
"Retailing in the “New Normal” era is a turning point and a major challenge for everyone. Megabangna and our partners are ready to adjust business strategies and operational practices to best meet the needs of our customers. Our efforts include strengthening measures to increase hygiene, cleanliness, safety, convenience and confidence for customers while delivering safe services and fun experiences to our returning customers," Khun Paphitchaya Suwandee.
