Most Windsor-Essex businesses expect to feel pandemic impacts for up to year and a half

A new survey meant to "take a pulse" of the impacts of COVID-19 on Windsor-Essex businesses found that a majority of them expect they will continue to feel the effects of the pandemic for some time to come

"As we know, COVID has hit some of our sectors extremely hard — so this informs us," said Invest WindsorEssex CEO Stephen McKenzie.

Just over three-quarters of the 280 businesses surveyed agreed they will continue to feel the pandemic effects for the next six to 18 months.

The survey was conducted between Apr. 9 and Apr. 30 and its results were released on Thursday in the midst of Economic Development Week. The survey was conducted by Workforce WindsorEssex, St. Clair College and Invest WindsorEssex.

Arvin Jain, the owner of Swaad, said he estimates he has lost about 50 per cent of his annual profits during the pandemic. 

"This pandemic is getting harsher on our side this time," Jain said.

"Definitely the survival level is now tough." 

When asked how long it will take for him to no longer feel the effects of them pandemic, he said he expects it will take more than a year. 

"I don't know how we will get back to the stage we were," he said.

Stay-at-home order extended 

On Thursday, Premier Doug Ford announced the provincial stay-at-home order would be extended to June 2. It had previously been set to expire next Thursday. 

Jain was preparing to open up a second location in Leamington for dine-in at reduced capacity, but now, the stay-at-home extension will only allow him to open his new location with takeout which is problematic because he's already paid a few months of rent. 

To catch up is very difficult. ​​​​​- Kim Spirou

To accommodate for the lost revenue, Jain expects to put in extra hours and take on additional tasks such as cleaning and sweeping the restaurant. 

'Other' sector responses

Most of the responses on the survey came from a sector categorized as "other" which includes auto and appliance repair, personal care services, funeral services, civic and social organizations, laundry services and religious organizations.

The second and third highest respondents came from the retail trade and manufacturing sectors, respectively.

The survey also showed about 34 per cent of respondents have laid off one or more staff members as a direct result of the pandemic.

The owner of Salon Brush, Kim Spirou, said she has lost revenue and she will feel the impact of the pandemic for the next year. 

"It's going to take a very long time for us to get to the volume of clients that we serve because, frankly, even when we're open... the capacity limits make it very difficult for my stylists to all work together," Spirou said.

"To catch up is very difficult." 

Spirou has owned and operated Salon Brush since 2016. 

"Owning a salon has been a dream of mine for many years. I worked very hard to get it established," Spirou said.

"I don't want to have to close, but at some point in time, you know, I can't keep going and I may have to close. And that would just be such a tragedy."

In order to tackle lost revenue, Spirou says she may consider bringing in another stylist to boost customer capacity, once restrictions are lifted. 

About 24 per cent of respondents reported a more negative attitude about doing business in the community since last year.

While the survey showed that 118 businesses planned to expand, seven indicated they will be closing.