Solomon Lew, the chairman of retail group Premier Investments, says some landlords are still in denial about a ''broken'' model for rents in the retail sector, which he warns will not return when the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

Premier, which operates retail brands including Just Jeans, Smiggle, Jay Jays, Portmans and Dotti, suffered a 74 per cent slide in sales in the six weeks to May 6 after a shutdown of retail outlets, even though online sales jumped by 99 per cent over the same period.