The pandemic drove a huge shift in convenience retail, as independents pivoted to home delivery models. So how did they manage the transition so quickly? And will the trend continue?
Gone are the days when convenience meant a quick trip to the nearest corner shop. For shoppers in the coronavirus era, true convenience means not having to leave home at all.
That much is shown in the latest figures for online grocery, which reached record market share of 15.4% in February, according to Kantar.
It could have spelled a huge missed opportunity for the convenience sector. After all, until the pandemic hit, online grocery was dominated by the mults, with c-stores dipping their toe into home delivery at best.
The nurses collect face masks, aprons, gloves, visors, goggles, and hand sanitiser from their local Spar store
Spar UK has delivered one million pieces of PPE to Marie Curie nurses working on the frontline as part of its ‘PPE Click & Collect Service’ initiative.
Spar wholesalers James Hall and Appleby Westward took part in the scheme, allowing nurses to collect face masks, aprons, gloves, visors, goggles, and hand sanitiser from their local Spar stores in the north and south west of England.
While Marie Curie sources the PPE, there had been problems in getting it out to nurses who operate in often remote communities across the country.
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Retailers write to PM over pandemic-fuelled increase in store violence Print
5th February 2021
More than 65 leading retailers and industry bodies have written to prime minister Boris Johnson calling on him to take urgent action to tackle violence and abuse towards retail workers.
The letter calls for the government “to treat the issue with the seriousness it deserves and improve protection for our employees by creating a new statutory offence of assaulting, threatening or abusing a retail worker”. This legislation would toughen sentences for those who are violent or abusive towards shopworkers, deter future perpetrators, and ensure shopworkers feel safer at work.