BRC Bulletin: BRC update public on latest retail activity
BRC Bulletin: Friday 20th March 2020
Coronavirus poses a challenge for retailers, staff and customers. To continue to deliver the best service for customers, while protecting their customers and staff, retailers are taking a range of actions. We will be providing a daily summary of actions taken by individual retailers in response to the developing situation.
Retailers:
B&Q are paying colleagues who are self-isolating and are giving their colleagues who are over 70 years’ old, the option not to work and receive full pay.
Co-op set to fast track recruitment of 5,000 store colleagues in a bid to provide temporary employment for hospitality workers who have lost their jobs. More info.
Ikea will close all 22 UK stores and smaller units from 6pm Friday. Online and fulfilment operations will continue. More info.
John Lewis & Partners suspended services that involve close contact between customers and partners. This includes cafés, The Place To Eat and others that require skin contact, such as beauty counter treatments and bra-fitting. Nespresso and Kuoni will also be temporarily closing their concessions too.
M&S is implementing special shopping hours for the elderly and vulnerable and NHS/emergency workers. More info.
M&S is extending temporary purchasing restrictions to two items per customer on frozen foods, homecare, groceries and eggs, and issuing guidance on freezing fresh food items. More info.
Sainsbury’s will give online customers who are over 70 years of age or have a disability priority access to online delivery slots. More info.
For any online Sainsbury’s customer who can travel to their stores, they will operate an expanded ‘click and collect’ service. Customers can place their order online as usual and pick it up from a collection point in the store car park. More info.
Sainsbury’s customers can buy a maximum of three of any grocery products and a maximum of two on the most popular products including toilet paper, soap and UHT milk. Some stores may introduce a lower maximum for some products, where they believe this will help more people to have access to the items that they need. More info.
Waitrose & Partners has introduced a dedicated shopping hour for the elderly, the vulnerable and those who look after them – this will be the first opening hour of the shop. More info.
Waitrose & Partners has set up a £1m Community Support Fund to help those in need in their local communities. More info.
Waitrose & Partners will temporarily close its cafés, self-serve coffee machines, wine bars, cookery schools and Wine Tasting at Home service to focus resource on meeting the current high demand.
Waitrose & Partners will set a limit of three of any specific grocery items, and a maximum of two packets of toilet roll per customer buying in its shops. Exclusions include fresh fruit and vegetables as well as Easter Confectionary, beers, wines, cider and spirits.
Government:
Defra have announced competition law is to be relaxed to allow supermarkets to work together to feed the nation. More info.
Defra also announced the relaxation on laws around drivers’ hours and are waiving the bag charge for online purchases.More info.
While the BRC cannot comment on specific actions, we may be able to comment on common actions by retailers aimed at supporting their customers.
Find all updates, including previous ones on our website: https://brc.org.uk/news/corporate-affairs/brc-bulletin/