The balance left by the pandemic is 90,700 closed business premises throughout the country, 15.6 percent of the total, according to an estimate made by CAME. “The registered moving rate barely reaches 0.3 percent. In other words, the crisis was so deep that businesses could not even compensate by moving to cheaper areas, as is often the case in recessive periods, ”CAME stressed.
The five provinces most affected by the closures were: Chubut, with a rate of 34 percent; Córdoba, with 25.4 percent closings; Neuquén, with 25.2 percent; Tierra del Fuego, with 21.2 percent and Santa Cruz, with a rate of 18.8 percent.
The figures come from a survey carried out by CAME between December 1 and 18 in 39 cities of the 23 provinces of the country and CABA. With a team of 33 pollsters, 82,629 businesses were surveyed in 1,500 streets. Of these, 12,843 were closed and empty, affecting 28,300 jobs. The most affected were shopping malls, where the closing rate reached 23 percent. Using these data, CAME projected the impact at the national level.
The CAME report further highlights:
-In the average country, 9 stores closed per block.
-Patagonia turned out to be the most affected region, with 22.7 percent of closed stores. On the other hand, the NOA was the least affected area, with 11.5 percent.
-In the case of galleries, there are provinces such as Chubut with 77.6 percent of closed premises; La Pampa with 63.6 percent or Formosa with 55 percent. At the other extreme is Salta with only 9.1 percent or Corrientes with 10.6 percent.
-Although the scope of the survey could not be quantified, CAME reported that the phenomenon occurred that, in medium and small cities, where people know each other, many locals and SMEs closed and went informal. In this way, for example, many began to sell in their homes or through networks, taking advantage of the fact that their clients and the community know them and quickly locate their new point or method of sale.
-CAME also reported that some 41,200 SMEs lowered the blind, but clarified that not all these SMEs will cancel their CUIT. “It is expected that, in the coming months, if everything normalizes, little by little a percentage of them will reappear in the same or another activity. We must remember that it is probable that the SME entrepreneur, even at the worst moment, will get up again and restart their business ”, they remarked.