Sunday as a non-working day in Delta City, Podgorica, causes a loss of a minimum of EUR 1 million in turnover at the end of the month, the shopping center said.
They reacted to refusing their request to work on Sundays.
"The financial loss of the lessees entails a reduction in the salaries of the workers and the dismissal of the workforce. The estimation that about 20% of the workforce at the center level will be left without a job. For the outcome, this decision is reflected also on the obligations that all our partners but also we as the shopping, have towards the state - a lower tax on income, and lower VAT revenues," said Delta.
They point out that shopping is a destination but also a venue for event organization, and is the most attractive and accessible to citizens during the weekend when they do not have to go to their jobs.
It is noteworthy that numerous guests and buyers from other Montenegrin cities, as well as neighboring countries, come to Podgorica on the weekends.
"The Domino effect of the non-working Sundays could be reflected in the removal of major international fashion brands from Montenegro, and we had a similar experience with the renowned British retailer “Marks & Spencer” when this company withdrew from the Montenegrin market, precisely because of the failure to meet its financial plans. The shopping mall is not just a shopping center, but a tourist service facility, considering it is a destination that also offers entertainment content, such as children's playrooms and the cinema, and most of the events are organized on the weekends, many of which have a tourist character and offer the possibility of promotion for small businesses, such as antiques fair, handicrafts, and many others," it was stated.
No doubt, the shopping mall Delta City will, as it has been so far, respect all the laws of Montenegro. However, we believe that the Montenegrin society will suffer the most significant damage to the proposed law change, and there are examples from the region and the world to prove it.
In all the countries of the region and most European countries, malls work on Sundays
In Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, even Slovenia (shortened working time on Sundays), malls work on Sundays. The same applies to Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Denmark, Hungary, Great Britain, Finland, Denmark, Sweden.
Text by Vijesti online on June 5th, 2019, read more at Vijesti
