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MINISTER of State Owned Enterprises, Erick Thohir said that the renewal of the Sarinah building did not leave historical value.
“There are many things that must be addressed (by Sarinah). Renewal needs to be done to be able to remain competitive, but by not leaving the historical value of Sarinah itself,” Erick Thohir said in an official statement received in Jakarta on Saturday.
In essence, he continued, the transformation of Sarinah is back to its core while maintaining the integrity of the legacy of the nation’s founders, but with the present packaging and existence and which promises sustainable business growth in the future.
“Sarinah is a project created by first president of Indonesia, Ir. Soekarno that is extraordinary. Sarinah today must be Sarinah in the future. Therefore, Pressident Jokowi himself with me discussed how to make this retail concept more friendly to Indonesia, which means aligning with local brands and curated Small Medium Entreprises,” he said.
On the other hand, according to him, the building which has been more than half a century old is indeed time to be renovated to maintain the structure’s robustness by considering the Golden Rule related to Safety, Health and the Environment.
Originally, the renovation schedule was planned to start in June 2020, but due to the lack of the COVID-19 outbreak, renovation work began with design, architecture, mapping, technical audit and others that did not cause crowds, which then only continued with physical construction.
“The management of PT Sarinah expects the outbreak to end soon so that construction work can begin immediately in stages. On the right occasion we will announce to the people the direction map and the blueprint for Sarinah’s transformation and expect the blessing and support of all Indonesian people and visitors and tourists to Sarinah,” he noted.
Erick Thohir conveyed, as a result of this renovation and in maintaining the Golden Rule the physical building must be emptied and demolition of tenant’s outlets also needs to be done. Especially for McDonald’s tenants where Sarinah is their flagship store, management recognizes that Sarinah Thamrin is a sentimental landmark especially for young people in the 90s.
“It’s not just a coincidence that Sarinah also has historical and sentimental value for generations 60, 70 and even 80s, aka Baby Boomers. This is the value of Sarinah that we want to build, as a charming and superior national retailer, not only for consumers, employees, management, but for all Indonesian people,” he concluded. [antaranews/photo special]
