Flood causes heavy losses to retailers

A variety of goods were destroyed by the flood that hit Orchard Road yesterday.

Aside from the cost of equipment and furnishings, retailers said they were expecting millions of dollars in losses.

Among the stores that were badly affected included apparel house Massimo Dutti, luxury goods retailer Hermes and the three-day-old fast-food restaurant Wendy's, all located at Liat Towers.

Stores located at Lucky Plaza, including a myriad of shops offering computer peripherals and mobile phones and a Watsons outlet, also suffered big losses.

Retailers there said the flooding was the worst they had seen in years, adding that the building’s basement also suffers from floods every year.

Some said they had lost $8,000 to $10,000 worth of merchandising.