Orchard Gateway Foot Locker ordered to suspend operations for 10 days for breaching Covid-19 measures

Further enforcement action may also be taken.

Tanya Ong | December 05, 2020, 04:50 PM

The Foot Locker outlet at Orchard Gateway has been ordered to suspend operations for 10 days, from Dec. 5 to Dec. 14 for failing to comply with Safe Management Measures (SMMs).

This was after a large crowd gathered at the outlet on Dec. 4 for a limited-edition sneaker launch despite repeated advisories by public enforcement agencies on crowd management.

The photos, which were circulated on social media at around 8pm, showed about 100 people packed outside the footwear store, according to the Straits Times (ST).

Further enforcement action may be taken

In a joint statement by Enterprise Singapore and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) shared with Mothership, the authorities said that Foot Locker Orchard Gateway is not permitted to conduct physical retail activities for the duration of its suspension.

During this period, the store may continue to carry out online retail activities.

Investigations are still ongoing, and further enforcement action may be taken.

STB and Enterprise Singapore also said that they are engaging Foot Locker Singapore on the measures it will take for future product launches.

This includes the potential cessation of all such physical launches at Foot Locker locations across Singapore.

The statement added that retail businesses are strongly advised to hold virtual or online sales, instead of organising physical product launches that may attract large crowds.

If physical launches are held, businesses must ensure they have robust plans for SMMs in place, including crowd management and capacity limits.

Foot Locker: Issues of crowding taken seriously

Foot Locker also told Mothership that they take the issues of crowding "seriously".

The footwear chain said they had alerted their security team to the "growing crowd" at their Orchard Gateway outlet on Dec. 4 evening.

According to the Foot Locker spokesperson, the chain will continue to enforce restrictions on maximum occupancy for all their outlets according to the guidelines set forth by local authorities. They will also "proactively...maintain safe distance for all of (their) shoppers and staff members".

Top photo via Chio.space/Google Maps, solesuperiorsg/IG.