In the U.S., Luxury Brands Board Up the Store

In Shanghai, day-to-day life for many luxury retailers has started — slowly — returning to normal. After almost two months of stringent lockdowns enforced by Chinese authorities hoping to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, retailers and restaurants are cautiously reopening for business, alongside the first sunny rays of spring.

In Europe, however, where millions of citizens have been living under national shutdowns for more than a week, stores in famous retail destinations have bolted their doors. Grates and window shades have been drawn at flagship luxury stores on the Place Vendôme in Paris and Via Montenapoleone in Milan.

In London, department stores like Harrods and Selfridges, and Bond Street boutiques like Burberry and Chopard, have cleared jewels and stock from plain sight. Little wonder, given that for the next three weeks at least not a single customer will be walking through the doors.

But in New York, where the cobbled streets of SoHo have shuddered to a standstill as state measures to slow the spread of the virus have taken hold, a number of elegant luxury boutiques, including Fendi, Celine and Chanel, did not just shutter storefronts this week; they had them boarded up with vast sheets of plywood, as if in anticipation of riots and civil disobedience, similar to how they react to European protests.

And fears have now spread beyond New York, with boarded up storefronts appearing on 14th Street in Washington and Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles, Union Square in San Francisco and the Magnificent Mile in Chicago, where Christian Louboutin, Dolce & Gabbana and Giorgio Armani have all walled off their storefronts. Social media users are posting images of once-buzzing retail arteries newly silent and potentially bracing for civil unrest.

Mark Dicus, the executive director of the SoHo Broadway Initiative business improvement district, said he had reached out to SoHo landlords and retailers last week urging them to consider alternatives to boarding up windows. Owners worried about securing their businesses, he said, should first consider hiring security firms or keeping interior lights on.

“Boarding up your storefront makes it so that people on the street can’t see inside,” he said. “That might be more appealing to those looking for break in opportunities.” Mr. Dicus added that the approach could add to residents’ anxieties at an already stressful time.

“We want to maintain a sense of normalcy and make sure our neighborhoods are safe,” he said. “We feel there are ways to take care of that without resorting to drastic measures like boarding up storefronts.”

And to, perhaps, ready them for the future.

After all, in Shanghai this week, following weeks when apartment blocks became fortresses and shopping districts wastelands, many luxury businesses started to welcome customers back with open arms (and in some cases, with thermometers and hand sanitizer at the doors). Malls and shops have started to reopen, with people eager to get out after being confined to their homes.

source: nytimes.com