Johannesburg-based Edcon has at least 18 000 workers, with suppliers employing thousands more. The owner of the Edgars and Jet chains filed for administration last month after losing R2 billion in sales as a result of South Africa's lockdown to contain the new coronavirus. Read: Edcon to file for voluntary business rescue Major malls will still be hit hard if Edcon business rescue fails Clothing stores were among those forced to close for five weeks through April, and were only allowed to open with limited ranges in May. The company had been struggling before the crisis, securing R2.7 billion from lenders, landlords and the Public Investment Corp. in a 2019 restructuring plan that freed the retailer of all interest-bearing debt. South African consumer spending has been lacklustre for several years as weak economic growth and high unemployment eroded disposable income.