The supermarket, owned by Saigon Union of Trading Cooperatives (Saigon Co.op), is in the process of being cleared, but the fresh produce section on the ground floor is still open for business, and customers are being instructed to move their shopping to neighboring Co.op supermarkets, stated Do Quoc Huy, marketing director of Saigon Co.op.

Co.opmart Dinh Tien Hoang is one of the Co.opmart supermarket chain’s leading supermarkets, contributing significant revenue to the chain.

Many of its customers were surprised by the empty shelves, Huy remarked, adding that the supermarket has only one month to shut down and return the premises to the owner. During the clearing-out period, Co.opmart Dinh Tien Hoang is texting messages of thanks to customers and instructing them to shop at other Co.opmart stores.

Huy noted that some three kilometers away from the Co.opmart, there are at least five other Co.op supermarkets: Co.opmart Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Co.opmart Rach Mieu, Co.opmart Chu Van An, Co.opmart Binh Trieu and Co.opmart Nguyen Kiem. Also, a series of Co.op Food stores are operational in the area, creating various shopping options for customers.

The representative of Saigon Co.op said the closure was temporary as the retail store chain operator had received the approval of the HCMC government to open a new supermarket at another location nearby. Huy stressed that Co.opmart Dinh Tien Hoang would return on a larger scale within the next two years.

Employees of the Co.opmart will be transferred to work at Co.opXtra Pham Van Dong or other supermarkets of the chain at first.

The land currently occupied by the closing Co.opmart store has been sold to a major Vietnamese retailer. The site is expected to become home to a high-end apartment building, accompanied by a commercial center and a general supermarket.

Co.opmart Dinh Tien Hoang is the only store of the Co.opmart chain in HCMC to suspend its operations this year, according to Huy.