Roger-Luc Chayer
Gay Globe Magazine, as part of a testimonial project from our partners on their experience during the COVID health crisis in Quebec, presents the interview given by Mr. Kheir Djaghri, General Manager of the SDC Promenade Masson, to Montreal.
First-rate economic observer, Gay Globe had invited Kheir Djaghri to tell us about his experience with COVID last year, but in all wisdom, he preferred to wait for things to calm down to give us a more precise portrait of the situation. .
“On March 13, 2020, the day of the declaration of a health emergency in Quebec, I was faced with a very difficult situation for two very simple reasons, uncertainty and the unknown. It’s something that has never been experienced by anyone and to find yourself « cloistered » overnight, confined and locked up, it’s not easy, especially since we have a responsibility, we , at the Société de Développement Commercial, it is the commercial vitality of the artery », tells us the director who has held the position at the Promenade Masson since 2015 and who had already, well before the pandemic, introduced his vision of a commercial development different from what could be done elsewhere. Kheir explains to us that the SDC did not sit around waiting for the storm to pass, it put in place aid programs and measures to support its commercial and professional members to avoid heavy damage. Not one, not two but four crowdfunding campaigns, support and assistance to members for requests for government aid, support for the development of terraces or the creation of digital content, the SDC has been able to innovate in a very difficult situation.
“We saw the tsunami coming, it was not easy, but by a unanimous decision of the board of directors, the SDC, in addition to the other measures offered by the governments, also offered aid to our members which totaled nearly $250,000. The Caisse Desjardins du Coeur-de-l’Île and the City of Montreal have contributed a lot to our crowdfunding campaigns aimed at safeguarding local businesses. The principle of these campaigns was simple, the customer buys a $20 voucher from a trader of his choice and the SDC gives him a $30 voucher to spend with this trade. With great patience and perseverance, the SDC managed to save 98% of its members from disaster. For 140 member businesses and professionals, only 3 have closed. Replacements were quickly found, because pandemic or not, there is a waiting list for the rental of premises on the Promenade Masson, which is a feat.
Among the 16 SDCs in the greater metropolitan area, Promenade Masson was the best performing with only 2% of vacant premises, while others had 17%, the highest rate.
Currently, more than 2 years after the start of the COVID pandemic, there has been absolutely no bankruptcy at the SDC and as Kheir said so well, it takes several links for a chain to hold, and that was its ultimate goal towards its members. Imaginative and very active support so that we can have an economically strong and winning Promenade Masson. Thank you Kheir for this interview, we had to talk about it!