• Nearly six in 10 people said they plan to avoid public areas such as shopping malls if the coronavirus outbreak worsens, according to a survey by Coresight Research.
• Restaurants, movie theatres, and sports events could also be impacted.
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US shopping malls could be “hit hard” if the coronavirus outbreak worsens, according to a new survey by Coresight Research.

Nearly six in 10 people said they plan to avoid public areas if the spread of the novel virus continues, the survey found.

Shopping centres are among the top destinations that people said they plan to avoid.

“Among those likely to change habits if the outbreak worsens, around three-quarters expect to avoid shopping centres/malls – making this the most-avoided type of location,” said Deborah Weinswig, CEO and founder of Coresight Research. “Shoppers say they will continue to avoid malls more than shops in general.”

Roughly 27.5% of respondents said they are already avoiding public areas and changing travel arrangements due to the virus. About 47% of those people said they are avoiding shopping malls, according to the survey, which polled 1,934 US adults this week.

Restaurants and movie theatres could also see declines in foot traffic.

“The broader leisure and services industry is likely to see hits to movie theatres, restaurants and sports events, with our survey recording high levels of avoidance or possible future avoidance if the outbreak worsens,” Weinswig said.

The National Retail Federation has so far remained upbeat about any potential impact of coronavirus on US retailers.

The trade group forecast this week that retail sales would rise between 3.5% and 4.1% in 2020, assuming coronavirus does not become a global pandemic.

“The nation’s record-long economic expansion is continuing, and consumers remain the drivers of that expansion,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said in a statement. “There are always wild cards we cannot control like coronavirus and a politically charged election year. But when it comes to the fundamentals, our economy is sound and consumers continue to lead the way.”

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