Former president of the Chaguanas Chamber of Industry and Commerce Vishnu Charran is calling on business owners to manage their expectations when all retail stores reopen on August 16.

When Newsday visited Charran's Bookstore in Chaguanas, he told Newsday, 'To the businesses that will be reopened, be aware that business will take some to get back to normal.

'I don't think it will get back to the level of normalcy (before covid19), at least for a next year, maybe.

'So business is not going to be as people may hope it will be…the business people need to be aware of that.'

In making his prediction, Charran questioned the amount of disposable income people will have to spend, especially given the financial hardships caused by covid19.

'People are now learning how to better conserve money, how to spend wisely and how to save.'

But while he predicts business will be slow for some time, Charran welcomes the full reopening of the retail sector. He said its prolonged closure resulted in immeasurable financial losses to business owners and workers, so relief was necessary.

However, he urged owners to innovate their business models to improve profitability and better recover financial losses.

To do this, he advised them to seek support from organisations like the Ministry of Trade, the National Agricultural Marketing and Development Corporation (Namdevco), ExporTT and the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI).

'There's a lot of help out there. I always say to people that if you need advice on how to expand your business and do well, always get in touch with your local chamber of commerce.'

But Charran added that the retail sector's success will not only be dependent upon businesses, as citizens also have a part to play.

Access to foreign exchange was a problem for local businesses even before covid19, and he said the pandemic has only worsened the situation.

'I always speak to people and encourage them that they need to support local produce. We have good-quality products here and (supporting them) is the only way we can save forex.'

Even when stores reopen next week, Charran said the future will still be uncertain, especially given the rise of different covid19 strains such as the delta variant.