To date, 11 landlord at Longdongbao Industrial Park in the Guizhou Shuanglong Airport Economic Zone have reduced rent or even waived rent entirely for merchants and small traders who want settle there, worth a total about 5 million yuan ($707,183), according to zone officials.
One landlord, Yunguan Cold Chain (Yunkai Investment) Co owns and operates a frozen meat and vegetable market and it exempted more than 170 tenant merchants and small traders from renting in February.
"Due to the novel coronavirus epidemic, catering companies have been hit hard and all merchants engaged in the wholesale of frozen food products were affected, " said Wang Nanjiang, deputy general manager of Yunguan Cold Chain Co.
Wang said that his company took the initiative to give preferential treatment to merchants.
"In February, we reduced and exempted rents amounting to 900,000 yuan. In March, we will continue to exempt the renting according to the actual situation, in order to fully promote the resumption of production and the market," Wang added.
Another enterprise at Longdongbao Industrial Park, Guizhou Weite Food Co, also granted relief on rent to tenants.
Guizhou Weite Food Co at Longdongbao Industrial Park of the Guizhou Shuanglong Airport Economic Zone. [Photo/sl.gov.cn]
For owners who already started paying rents before Jan 23, the company gave 50 percent reduction for rent in February and March; companies that are directly engaged in catering management will be exempt from February’s rent and will get 50 percent reductions in March.
Wang Dengrong, general manager of Guizhou Weite Food Co, said that the company had reduced charges worth 230,000 yuan for seven companies.