"Everyone has been buying goods locally since the lockdown order was executed. We have seen the benefits for GoodHome during this epidemic," he said. Bestsellers are electrical appliances, power tools, hardware and household products. "Whatever goods are imported sell out quickly," Lau said.
The exit ban has been in place for 18 months. Before the lockdown, retailers in the sultanate competed with those in the Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah, as well as the federal territory of Labuan for a share of Bruneians' wallets. Brunei, a petrostate with 420 000 people and a GDP per capita of USD 31 400 (EUR 26 800), shares four land borders with Malaysia that residents have been used to crossing for cheaper shopping.