Removal companies enjoy robust trade<\/p>\n
By Sadie Mah<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): With most expatriates and well-heeled locals
\nhaving left the city after the riots of last May, you would
\nexpect the moving business in Indonesia to be in a slump.<\/p>\n
It's on the move, however, and most companies contacted by The
\nJakarta Post said that they were flat out with business. In fact,
\nSRT International Movers reported a 500 percent hike.<\/p>\n
Besides expatriates and locals moving out of Indonesia, a
\nsizable proportion of the growth this time has come from the
\nremaining expatriates and locals having their belongings stored
\nin warehouses while they await the outcome of the general
\nelections.<\/p>\n
Moving companies are called in to pack and store away
\nfurniture, paintings and electrical goods, to be either shipped
\nabroad in each instance the situation heats up or unpacked once
\nthe owners are convinced that the worst is over.<\/p>\n
\"They are packing up now as a precaution, and will give word
\non whether to send their things out later,\" said a senior
\ntechnical advisor for International Movers and Storage (IMS), who
\nwould only identify herself as M.K. \"If nothing happens after the
\nelections, they may not leave.\"<\/p>\n
Most clients of these movers are expatriates. While some are
\nmoving out of the country after having lost their jobs here, many
\nare moving to hotels or going abroad temporarily while their
\nbelongings are being stored in warehouses.<\/p>\n
Other expatriates are sending their wives and children back to
\ntheir countries while they themselves move from a house to a
\nsmall apartment, a trend prevalent among the Japanese.<\/p>\n
\"From January to March this year, we had around 80 Japanese
\nclients who moved their families out of Indonesia, while they
\nthemselves moved into apartment units,\" said Ananda Purwoyuwono,
\nremoval manager for SRT International Movers.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, some expatriates from Australia, Europe and
\nMalaysia are shipping their Indonesian wooden furniture out of
\nthe country in advance.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesian furniture in those countries can cost up to seven
\ntimes what they cost here. Many of them have accumulated a
\ncollection during their stay,\" explained Eddie Arno, owner of
\nArno Removals.<\/p>\n
But foreigners are not the only ones moving out of the
\ncountry. Companies are reporting an increase in Indonesian
\nclients as well. Agus Zulkifli, an employee at Ritra Movers,
\nestimated that as many as 30 percent of their clients are locals.
\nHe added that most are ethnic-Chinese. \"The Chinese are scared,
\nand they have money,\" said Ananda.<\/p>\n
Since the riots of May last year, some rich Chinese-
\nIndonesians have emigrated to countries such as Australia, U.S.,
\nCanada and Malaysia. Others choose, instead, to have their
\nbelongings stored at warehouses in countries such as Singapore,
\nHong Kong and Australia while they wait for the outcome of the
\nelections.<\/p>\n
\"We have been getting 10 such clients a month for the past few
\nmonths,\" said Sri Fatimawati, chief of the sea freight department
\nof Unipara Movers and Warehouse, said earlier this month. Sources
\nrevealed that some Indonesians began putting their belongings in
\nstorage even before May last year.<\/p>\n
Sri added that many families living in Chinatown in Kota are
\nmoving to either Bali or Lampung in search of safety. \"Since the
\nbeginning of April, we have been handling 20 families a week who
\nare moving out of the Kota area,\" said Sri. \"They usually rent a
\nhouse for one to two months in Bali or Lampung, returning to
\nJakarta to retrieve their belongings only when it's safe.\"<\/p>\n
But safety is not the only concern for those who are leaving
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
\"Our clients are also waiting to see if the economy will pick
\nup after the election,\" said Eddie. \"If the election results look
\nfavorable to the economy, they will stay on in Jakarta.\" He said
\nthat many who have lost their jobs to the economic crisis are
\ngoing abroad to look for new ones.<\/p>\n
Arno's clients also include business people who are developing
\nnew businesses abroad, while maintaining the ones they have here.
\n\"They do not want to close their businesses here because they see
\npotential in Indonesia,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Others have simply closed their shops indefinitely. Martha,
\nwho closed down her salon in Hayam Wuruk Plaza, said it's too
\nrisky to keep operating throughout the election period.<\/p>\n
\"Like my friends, I'll be leaving for Singapore before the
\nparties start campaigning, and will then see what the situation
\nis like after the elections,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Some locals, who have no plans to leave the country, simply
\nhave their valuable possessions stored in warehouses.<\/p>\n
\"Requests by our local clients for storage varies between a
\nfew items to a whole house,\" said Peter Charles, a director at
\nTrans Movers. He said his clients include collectors of paintings
\nand artifacts.<\/p>\n
Although most companies are up to their neck with
\ninternational and inter-city jobs, there is also a high demand
\nfor domestic moving. Since May last year, expatriates and locals
\nare moving from houses to apartments within Jakarta, believing
\nthat apartments are more secure. They are also moving to, what
\nthey perceive to be, safer areas within Jakarta.<\/p>\n
While the moving industry is enjoying a boom, some are not
\noptimistic. \"This is obviously a short-term phenomenon,\" said
\nEddie. \"Once most of the expatriates have left, the business will
\nbe slow again. Indonesians have cheap labor and their relatives
\nto rely on to help them move, so there has never been a real need
\nfor professional movers,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Competition may even be pushing some local companies to charge
\nvery low prices. For example, Unipara charges Rp 720,000 for 30
\ndays' storage of an average household at their warehouse, which
\nincludes the receiving delivery and unloading. For similar
\nservice, a foreign company might charge millions of rupiah.<\/p>\n
Besides the political and economical climate in Indonesia,
\nother factors may have contributed to the industry's success.
\nThe school holidays which will begin in May, means that there are
\nmore people traveling out of the country at this time of the
\nyear. Moreover, housing leases for expatriates usually expire
\naround this time, making it the ideal occasion to leave the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
\"In every situation, there are always winners and losers,\"
\nsaid a long-time expatriate resident of Jakarta. \"While the
\nlosers are obvious, the more interesting stories lie in the
\nwinners.\"<\/p>",
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