Hypermart Detos Reportedly Closing; Retail Chief Explains What Will Happen to Employees

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia — The closure of Hypermart’s outlet at Depok Town Square (Detos) has prompted questions about what will happen to its employees. Budihardjo Iduansjah, chairman of the Indonesian Retailers and Shopping Centre Tenants Association (Hippindo), said employees who still have valid employment contracts would generally be transferred to another outlet.

Meanwhile, interns, freelance workers and employees whose contracts have expired may not have them renewed.

“Usually, workers are moved to other stores; that is normal. Every retailer also has interns or freelancers, or employees whose contracts have ended. Their contracts are usually not renewed. Those whose contracts are still active are transferred,” Budihardjo told CNBC Indonesia when contacted on Tuesday (27 October 2026).

Budihardjo said he did not yet know where Hypermart Detos employees would be assigned after the outlet closed. He said staffing arrangements were an internal company matter and would depend on stores’ operational needs.

He explained that employees who still had active contracts could be retained while the company decided on their next placement, including at any new outlets it might open.

“I don’t know where they’ll be moved, but sometimes a store has not opened yet. The goods are moved to another store first, and the employees are retained. Later, when the store is ready to open, they can be moved there. That is an internal matter for the company,” he said.

On the closure of the Hypermart outlet at Detos, Budihardjo said a shopping centre’s low footfall could be one reason a retailer moved its operations elsewhere.

“If a shopping centre is quiet, tenant stores will certainly look for a busier location; that is common. If Hypermart’s business is still healthy and it is only closing an underperforming outlet—Detos is rather quiet—it may look for a different format or perhaps open a standalone store,” Budihardjo said.

He said the closure of one outlet did not necessarily mean that the company’s business was deteriorating. Large retailers such as Hypermart also needed to adapt their business concepts to remain relevant to consumers’ needs.

“Big retailers such as Hypermart are facing challenges and need to change their concepts. Perhaps Hypermart is changing its concept and will open another store. It is quite normal to close one store and open another,” he said.

Budihardjo added that opening a standalone store could help a retailer reach consumers in a different location. He cited Grand Lucky as another retailer operating in that format.

“Hypermart is still doing reasonably well, and there are many standalone stores, such as Grand Lucky,” he concluded.