By Aimee Chanthadavong
Nineteen retailers in the food court of Westfield Eastgardens Shopping Centre still remain close indefinitely after being left without power and exhaust supply, as a result of the collapse of centre’s car park on Tuesday morning.
But for a majority of the centre it was business as usual by Wednesday.
Julia Clarke, Westfield spokesperson, told RetailBiz along with safety, one of Westfield’s priorities was to communicate with its retailers.
“There are resources dedicated to trying to keep them as informed as possible with up to date information and this will continue,” she said.
However, based on reports by The Sydney Morning Herald, the retailers in the centre "were left in the dark" about whether they would be resuming trading or not. RetailBiz attempted to contact to the retailers who remain closed but did not receive a response upon print time.
Clarke said engineers are still looking into the reasons behind the collapse. However she noted that a full assessment of the site by the authorities including engineers, have now declared the centre as safe for re-entry.
As to whether the retailers will be compensated for their loss in retail activity, Clarke said: “Retailers have individual arrangements with their respective insurers and the engineering assessment will play a role in that process.”
The shopping centre is located in Sydney’s south-eastern suburbs, with more than 250 specialty stores