Retailers, Brands Step Up to Help During COVID-19 Crisis

Total Retail is continuing its daily coverage of the COVID-19 global pandemic, with a specific focus on how retailers and brands are responding to the crisis. One positive to emerge from this situation is the various ways retailers and brands are chipping in to help out those in their local communities as well as the nation at large. Here are some examples of brands trying to make a positive difference in this time of need:

• Hanes and a group of other yarn and clothing companies agreed to make up to 6 million face masks a week. Hanes was currently negotiating a contract with the U.S. government to supply the masks at market rates.
• Dov Charney, the founder of Los Angeles Apparel and former CEO of American Apparel, in recent weeks devoted the majority of his factory space to manufacturing surgical masks and hospital gowns. The company started selling and shipping masks in mid-March; it is ultimately hoping to produce 300,000 masks and 50,000 gowns a week.
• Wakefern Food Corp., the retailer-owned cooperative, announced two programs for its cooperative members’ retail store associates that provide a temporary wage premium and enhanced sick and leave benefits. The program would impact tens of thousands of dedicated associates working across ShopRite, The Fresh Grocer, Price Rite Marketplace, Dearborn Market and Gourmet Garage stores during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Grocery workers have been at the front lines during this health emergency, so good for Wakefern Food Corp.
• Beauty brands Non Gender Specific and Waksē have each opened donation pages where customers can donate N95 masks to any of the 7,000-plus hospitals in urgent need. The consumer chooses the hospital, and NGS and Waksē will pick up the cost of shipping the masks. All those donating will also receive tracking when the shipment goes out for peace of mind that it has been delivered.
• Foodetective, the largest on-demand restaurant network that helps bring favorites right to your door, is launching a commission-free delivery and take-away platform to support restaurants in the U.S. during the coronavirus health crisis. With many restaurants forced to temporarily stop service or rethink offerings, Foodetective is working to help ease some of the stress by making it easy for business owners to add their menus online to make takeout services possible, and enabling customers to support local restaurants.