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AKARTA: With the new bylaw on private markets soon to be implemented, many things need to be put on hold, says an official with the city agency for small and medium enterprise, and trade.

"The bylaw is still being discussed by all the stakeholders, and I hope it will be ready this month," said the agency's head, Ade Soeharsana, on Friday.

"The regulation will give everyone fair opportunity.

"We have restraint permits for new convenience stores or foreign franchises planning to enter the city," Ade said.

"Four hundred of them have been waiting in line since 2006."

This is in accordance with the 2006 Jakarta Governor Instruction on convenience store permits.

Rudy Sumampouw, general secretary of the Indonesian Association of Retailers (Aprindo), said, "We hope the regulation will accommodate everyone's needs - big retailers as well as small ones."

Retail stores are mushrooming in Jakarta with 126 retail franchises and 149 convenience store chains, not including franchises.