Robots and new technologies become mainstays in Hong Kong malls, offices as landlords adapt to pandemic
- Social distancing rules and work-from-home regime have renewed pressure on businesses amid infection fears
- Swire Properties, Hysan, JLL and Sunlight Reit among managers who have deployed technologies to reduce human contact
Landlords in Hong Kong and mainland China are embracing new technologies with greater urgency as many are struggling with dwindling retail footfall and rents amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Social distancing rules and work-from-home regime have renewed pressure on businesses, after social unrest and the viral outbreak sent the retail sector into a free fall. Some landlords have now deployed machines to replace humans, on top of offering rent concessions to help retailers beat the slump.
Projects that use robot cleaning machines include Infinitus Plaza in Sheung Wan and JLL’s offices in One Taikoo Place and Dorset House in Quarry Bay. They are also deployed at Swire Properties’ HKRI Taikoo Hui mall and office towers in Shanghai and One Indigo office tower in Beijing.
“We have used this opportunity to explore and adopt new and innovative measures to keep our customers, tenants and staff safe,” a spokesperson at Swire Properties said in an email. “We’re looking into how we can extend its use in other areas, such as car parks or surrounding areas around our malls.”
The group continues to take extensive precautionary measures across its portfolios during the pandemic, the person said.
Retail sales fell by a record 44 per cent in February, as border closures and event cancellations slammed tourist arrivals that have become the lifeblood for shop owners over the past decade.
In Swire’s locations, automatic cleaning machines run on programmed orders and clean within the areas preset in their systems. They complement daily cleaning works by workers and help reduce direct human contact.