Harvey Norman has confirmed that its five stores in Slovenia have been forced to close, effective 16 March 2020, in response to the government’s temporary ban on the sale of goods and services to consumers in the Republic of Slovenia with certain exemptions, such as food stores, pharmacies, petrol stations, banks and post offices.
“Harvey Norman stores in Croatia, Singapore, Malaysia, Ireland, Northern Ireland, New Zealand and Australia have not been impacted by COVID-19. It remains business as usual,” Harvey Norman Australia executive director, David Ackery told Appliance Retailer.
While stores in Slovenia have been forced to shut, several major US retailers have chosen to close their doors temporarily to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, including Calvin Klein, Levi’s, Nike and Under Armour among many others.
Today, Premier Retail CEO Mark McInnes confirmed that two stores in Hong Kong had been closed since the outbreak of COVID-19 but has warned that more stores globally may be forced to shut also.
“Landlords have a major role to play to ensure retailers can operate in the short term for the long-term benefit of all stakeholders…we are prepared to close many more stores globally if landlords do not respond to the current crisis,” he said in a statement shared with Appliance Retailer.
In the consumer tech space, Apple CEO, Tim Cook announced that all Apple stores outside of greater China would close for two weeks until March 27, 2020. “As rates of new infections continue to grow, we are taking additional steps to protect our team members and customers,” he said.