Neither the glitzy jewelry stores in China's upscale shopping malls nor its spicy hotpot restaurants that once saw long lines are likely to come back to life anytime soon as their owners plan to wait out the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
Big consumer firms from Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Ltd. to Yum China Holdings Inc. have closed as many as 80% of their stores as China races to curb the contagion which as of Thursday had killed more than 1,350 people and infected more than 59,000 in China.
As local authorities ask residents to stay indoors and take drastic measures against those testing positive with the pathogen, shoppers are wary of stepping out -- dealing a body blow to consumer companies after they lost out on this year's Lunar New Year Holiday. The bustling festive week, when millions travel and shop, had seen a $140 billion spending spree in 2019. Brokerages from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to UBS Group AG have pared China's 2020 growth forecast on the virus hit.
Chow Tai Fook, the world's biggest jewelry chain by revenue, which has temporarily halted operations in about 80% of its stores in mainland China, has no planned date for reopening. Those outlets will remain closed until further notice, said a company spokesperson.
The majority of the remaining stores have reduced their operating hours, she said, adding that there were no plans to cut staff. Chow Tai Fook has more than 3,600 outlets in mainland China.
Yum China Holdings Inc., which has 9,200 outlets across more than 1,300 cities in China, has temporarily closed more than 30% of its restaurants, Chief Financial Officer Andy Yeung said in an earnings call with analysts Feb 6. "We cannot forecast when nor at what rate the closed restaurants will be reopened and the traffic will be restored," he said. "We may be required or otherwise decide to close additional stores or modify our operations in response to the outbreak."
Haidilao International Holding Ltd., China's largest hotpot restaurant chain, also has no time line for reopening its 550 stores shut since Jan. 26. "We are closely monitoring the situation and paying attention to governments' gradual plan for resuming operations," spokesman Yang Xibei said in a WeChat message.
Fast Retailing Co. still hasn't reopened 350 Uniqlo stores in China, while Ryohin Keikaku Co. closed two more Muji stores, taking the total to 140 as of Tuesday.
Such indefinite shutdowns in China are likely to crimp President Xi Jinping's resolve to spur growth in the largest Asian nation, which was suffering from the worst economic slowdown since 1992 even before the novel coronavirus struck. It'll also be a wake-up call for consumer goods giants that had been relying heavily on Chinese consumers to fuel growth.
Meanwhile, China's cities continue to look like ghost towns and the world's biggest consumer companies have begun taking a hit.
Nike Inc. said earlier this month that it has closed about half its company-owned stores in China because of the virus contagion and expects it to have a material impact on its operations in the country. Rival brand Adidas AG has closed a significant number of stores in China, as have its franchisees.
Starbucks Corp. said Jan. 29 that it has closed more than half its coffee shops in mainland China -- about 2,000 locations -- but was yet to calculate the impact.
Representatives of Nike, Adidas and Starbucks didn't immediately respond to requests for an update on closed stores.
-- Information for this article was contributed by Lisa Du of Bloomberg News.
SundayMonday Business on 02/16/2020