Retail Management: How Can Indian Malls Become Resilient For Pandemics and Create Virus Free -Built Environments

This paper aims to present a review of the current Covid-19 pandemic impact on the retail sector in India. It aims to demonstrate how facilities management (FM) in shopping malls can evolve towards achieving virus free built environment. In order to prevent the immediate effect on the business and to increase resilience to the new normal, facilities managers will have to evolve as strategist decision makers. Despite the significant efforts made by the government, a coherent and strategic facilities management plan shall be required to fight the pandemic. The research utilizes quantitative and qualitative approach towards analysing data and information based on survey and prior knowledge. It also highlights expectations and approaches undertaken by the customers during mall visit. During the research it was observed that the customers are concerned on certain critical aspects related to the virus. Knowledge of the proposed interventions will suggest and assist facility managers towards developing strategies for safer mall premises. The paper also presents a Mall-Entry Map as a first step towards encapsulating knowledge on facilities management and the Covid-19 pandemic.