logo-loader

Supermarkets to cut services to cope with coronavirus-affected staff

Published: 11:13 16 Mar 2020 EDT

J Sainsbury PLC - Supermarkets plan service cuts to cope with homebound staff: media reports

British grocery stores are planning cuts to services such as cafes and counters to keep stores running with a smaller workforce.

Many staff may be forced to stay home if they show symptoms of coronavirus or if the schools are closed, posing the issue of childcare.

READ: Coronavirus pandemic boosts supermarket hand sanitiser sales by 255%

“What (products) we can and can’t get is the least of current challenges,” an industry source told Reuters.

The Big Four, J Sainsbury PLC (LON:SBRY), Tesco PLC (LON:TSCO), Walmart Inc’s (NYSE:WMT) Asda and Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC (LON:MRW) have been struggling to ensure basic items such as toilet roll and pasta are available to customers.

Grocery stores have taken relatively low hits in the stock market bloodbath as the general public has been stockpiling ahead of a potential lockdown.

Sainsbury’s shares were trading 2% higher on Monday at 182.15p.

Ramp Metals Launches Drilling Program in Pursuit of High-Grade Nickel in...

Ramp Metals CEO Jordan Black joined Steve Darling from Proactive to introduce the company to the public domain and share exciting developments in the mining industry. With a background as a geotechnical engineer and experience in venture capital, including a notable role in taking GoldSpot...

8 minutes ago