Covid-19 variant wreaks havoc on South East Asian economies as retail, tourism stumble

Closed stores are seen at a shopping mall in Jakarta, on July 3, 2021. - Reuters

JAKARTA (The Straits Times/ANN): With its sprawling gym, multi-screen movie theatre and coffee franchises, the Kota Kasablanka shopping mall to Jakarta's south has catered successfully to Jakarta's emerging middle class.

Since opening in 2012, its 110,000sq m of leasable space has been fully rented out.