Questions to Magnus Roxner, COO of Safe Asset Group

Amid an unprecedented sanitary and economic context, Ascencia doubled down on safety measures by setting up advanced safety protocols that allowed all 7 malls owned by the group to obtain a Covid-19 compliance certification, making them the very first malls in Mauritius to obtain this certification. Magnus Roxner, Chief Operating Officer of Safe Asset Group, the custodian of these safety standards, explains what they entail.

1. Can you give us a brief background of Safe Asset Group as a company?

Headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, SAFE Asset Group is a global, independent certification and advisory company channelling international experts with diverse backgrounds (shopping centers and mixed-use asset management, risk management, crisis communication, and law-enforcement).  We provide certification and advisory services to industry-leading asset owners, operators, investors, retailers, and trade organizations worldwide. Our certifications are the SHORE certification and the Covid-safe certification to name a few.

2. In how many countries are your certifications recognised?

We have certified more than a 8,5million m² in 28 countries, some notable assets of which are the Sandton City & Nelson Mandela Square, Johannesburg.

3. What does this imply to obtain one of your certifications?

First, the public can be assured that the landlord has taken all reasonable steps to ensure a ‘safe customer journey’.

Employees, for their part, can rest assured that they work in an independently assessed environment where safety and risk resilience have the highest priority.
Visitors and occupants can be confident that relevant emergency systems and procedures are in place to safely handle a wide range of incidents.

4. Walk us through the process an entity goes through in order to be certified.

Our 6-step process is simple yet stringent to ensure adherence to industry best practices, and, in terms of covid safety, to the recommendations of the WHO and ECDC.

- Mapping the asset. This implies an extensive survey designed to capture the current status of operation (through photos and documents)

- Reviewing documents and protocols to gauge their compliance with the requirements in the standard.

- Interviewing key personnel with additional questions to the submitted information.

- Touring the property (physically or virtually) to verify the actual implementation of instructions.

- Preparing an elaborate report with specific recommendations for the Management team to implement.

- This certification is valid for 12 months, following which a re-evaluation of the asset is necessary.

5. What Covid-19 safety measures are required for the covid-safe certification?

- A risk assessment together with mitigation plan

- Instructions, rules, and guidelines for everyone working in the mall such as tenants, service suppliers etc

- A pandemic-adapted cleaning plan with increased frequency and monitoring

- A safe customer journey including communication & guidance, disinfection availability, and measures to facilitate physical distancing.

- Emergency response planning to ensure that the management teams are equipped to handle unplanned events and incidents.

6. What safety aspects are unique to malls and what are the challenges associated with them that make this certification (and compliance) important?

In malls, as opposed to offices for example, we have large, temporary crowds with rather long time between visits.

Clear communication and guidance throughout the mall in combination with different physical limitations and technical installations are therefore essential to encourage and enforce behaviours that do not put other visitors at risk.

7. When it comes to Ascencia malls, what safety measures contributed to setting it apart from any other ordinary mall?

The management teams of the Ascencia Malls implemented guidelines as issued by the local Government, but they took it a step further by complying to international standards to further limit the spread of the virus.