Dubai’s Al Zarooni Group said it will waive up to three months’ rent for eligible tenants at its two malls, Mercato and Town Centre Jumeirah, as part of plans to ease the financial burdens faced by retailers affected by COVID-19.

The rental relief worth Dh25 million ($6.8 million) comes within the framework of ongoing assistance being offered by leading government and private sector entities in Dubai to help businesses ease the financial pressures on them in the current environment caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.
    
Abdul Rahim Al Zarooni, chairman of Al Zarooni Group, commented: “The retail sector is facing an unprecedented situation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we feel that it’s our responsibility as a partner of the government to support our tenants experiencing financial hardships. During these challenging times, Al Zarooni Group will continue to stand by its partners so that their businesses are able to recover fast once the pandemic is over.  We will also continue to support the overall relief efforts and initiatives of the government to safeguard the retail sector, a key pillar of Dubai’s economy.”

In accordance with government directives, Mercato and Town Centre Jumeirah will close for two weeks from 25 March. However, providers of essential services like supermarkets and pharmacies will remain open while F & B outlets will only operate a delivery service,

Earlier, Abdul Rahim Al Zarooni had announced a donation of Dh10 million to the healthcare sector to support their efforts to combat the novel coronavirus. – TradeArabia News Service