Jaime Torres
The El Paso Journal
Friday, March 5, 2021 | 12:08
Considered the “mall” par excellence in El Paso, Cielo Vista was not immune to the crisis due to the pandemic and the decline of Mexican customers. Abercrombie & Fitch, one of the classic stores in the mall, closed its doors recently, as did several stores that chose to cease operations.
The lack of Mexican customers in the city’s commercial sector has led to the closure of countless units, located in different parts of El Paso County, as a result of the partial closure of border bridges due to the health emergency that has been raging since March. from 2020 in the border region.
Almost a year after the authorities issued the order to partially close the crossings, located in the El Paso sector, and refused the entry of people with tourist visas, the businessmen suffered a decrease of their income up to 70%.
“This has been catastrophic and if it continues like this, it will certainly end with the closure of the business in the short term,” said a trader based in Cielo Vista Mall, a trading emporium that throughout its history has been helped by the presence of Mexican buyers.
Opened in 1974, two years after the first substantial devaluation of the peso against the dollar, Cielo Vista has witnessed the various financial crises that Mexico and its buyers went through, due to its strategic location, 16 miles from downtown El Paso. and five (8 kilometers) from international borders.
The Cielo Vista resistance did not take into account the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced the partial closure of the southern border for non-essential traffic and which at the time last year led to the closure of most stores for several months to prevent the spread of the virus.
The absence of consumers in northern Mexico had a strong impact on South Texas’ commercial industry, and El Paso was no exception, and both small and medium-sized businesses and large corporations suffered the economic onslaught.
Abercrombie & Fitch, an American retail store focused on casual clothing for teens and adults, and based in New Albany, Ohio, is one of the stores that recently abandoned its market operations after failing to reach its sales budget. desired.
After remaining for years and being part of the portfolio of prestigious brands in the shopping complex, along with specialty stores such as Dillard’s, Apple Store, Michael Kors, Sephora and H&M, its managers decided to close their doors to the amazement of customers. you. .
During a tour of the corridors of the mall, the place that housed Abercrombie & Fitch was seen empty and closed and the windows covered with black blankets.
“More than a dozen of the big ones have already left and the truth is that this is empty and even more so now that traders open and close at the desired time precisely because of the lack of customers,” said Iván Sánchez, head of a commercial module. dedicated to the sale of screen protectors for mobile phones and other electronic devices.
He commented that another store that abandoned its operations was Banana Republic, a clothing and accessories retailer owned by the American multinational corporation Gap, originally called “Banana Republic Travel & Safari Clothing Company”.
As did “Call it Spring”, another chain dedicated to the sale of shoes, boots, bags and fashion accessories for men and women. “As long as they do not open the bridges and do not allow the passage of” mexas “, this will not return,” he said after recalling that this place was crowded with CD customers. Juárez, Chihuahua and other cities in northern and southern Mexico.
“Let’s see now which store arrives at the mall. Some leave and others arrive, as happened with Banana Republic, whose headquarters were occupied by another company from California, dedicated to the sale of costumes “, said a visitor while noticing the low influx of customers.
According to businessman Tammy Berg, former president of the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and founder of the El Paso Downtown Bargaining Company, locally, Mexican customers account for 60 percent of sales.
“The impact is extraordinary. Not only these sales, but the people who work there and who have lost their jobs, it is something that happens and affects us a lot, “he said after pointing out that there were 12 months of uncertainty and losses in advertising. shedding.
He pointed out that among store managers considered “strong”, such as Walmart, Ross, Target, Marshals, among others, all agree that 60 cents of every dollar comes from customers in Mexico.
He stressed that, although this was due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the reality is that the political aspect also influenced, referring to the rhetoric adopted by former President Donald Trump against the migrant community.
“It affected us a lot, it was an impact that we suffered a lot, but let’s hope that this new president – Joe Biden – encourages that good neighborhood to continue to be one united community, as it always has been. .
In a clear and confident tone that this will soon pass, Berg expressed confidence that gradually the border will be reopened so that families on both sides can live together again, trade will be revived and the word community will become a unit.
In turn, traders established in both commercial emporiums and the central area hope that with massive immunization programs against Covid-19 and health and care measures taken by the authorities and the community as a whole, the rate of contagion will decrease. . to reopen the economy 100% at the border with full confidence.
According to executives, the Borderplex region is in the initial phase of a slow return to economic normalcy, once the leaders of the United States, Canada and Mexico agree to reopen their borders.