Australian mall operator Scentre Group, which runs Westfield Riccarton, has developed a centralised shopping platform for its retailers, allowing shoppers to buy from multiple shops in one transaction.
The service is called Westfield Direct. An order will be available to pick up at a selected time from Westfield Riccarton or another Westfield mall around the country. Pick up areas will be set up in its basement car park.
Mainly food operators, restaurants, cafes and florists are on the platforms at present but they are working with retailers across other categories to get them on board.
The Westfield platform launched at malls in Australia about two weeks ago and had been well received, a spokeswoman for the ASX-listed company said.
Scentre Group director of customer experience, Phil McAveety, said the platform was developed to respond to the fast-changing Covid-19 restrictions.
"Westfield Direct is an innovation we've fast-tracked to provide customers a safe and easy solution to shop for the items they need in one transaction, from the comfort of their home," McAveety said.
"For our retail partners, Westfield Direct provides a new way for them to reach their customers within government guidelines. The response from our retailers so far has been overwhelmingly positive, with more joining each day and we're looking forward to seeing where the Westfield Direct service takes us over the coming months."
Westfield's New Zealand malls have been closed for more than five weeks, with the exception of access to supermarkets, pharmacies and financial services, following the Government's mandatory lockdown to stop the spread of Covid-19.
Retail NZ and the New Zealand Council of Retail Property have been calling for the Government to lift its restrictions preventing shops and shopping malls from opening their doors for non-essential retailing under alert level 3 amid concerns of struggling operators.
This follows news that the country's retail sales were down 80 per cent in the month of April and are down about 79.8 per cent under alert level 3. The pandemic and subsequent impact of lockdown are expected to have long-lasting effects on the sector.
Campbell Barbour, chairman of NZ Council of Retail Property, last month said the council was concerned about the long term economic impact of shopping malls being closed to the public and the wider impacts on the retail sector.
"While the 'click and collect' implementation is an excellent first step, unfortunately it is unlikely to significantly reduce the impact of a prolonged period without retail trade," Barbour said.
"We remain very concerned that the long term economic impact of this pandemic could place thousands of retailers and their tens of thousands of employees in jeopardy."
Retail NZ anticipates thousands of retail staff will be let go once the Government's wage subsidy scheme finishes in coming weeks.
