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Businesses urged to prioritise Health & Safety ahead of online Christmas sales spike
With tighter coronavirus restrictions forcing increasing numbers of Christmas shoppers online this year, leading compliance authority
Bureau Veritas is advising retailers and logistics firms to prepare for the extra health, safety and hygiene risks this rise in festive eCommerce sales will bring.
I
t comes as unsurprisingly latest figures show a steep rise in online shopping
since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, with the Office for National Statistics reporting that a third of consumer retail spending now takes place online compared to just 20 per cent pre-pandemic. Indeed Amazon, which flourished during lockdown, recently announced plans to take on 7,000 more permanent staff by the end of the year, launching two new fulfilment centres, as well as three seasonal pop-up warehouses.
Similar trends are afoot in food, with Tesco reportedly adding free delivery to its Clubcard Plus loyalty scheme while Marks & Spencer has recently launched its partnership with Ocado to offer clothes and homeware alongside food this Christmas.
As such, amid this period of rapid change for the sector, Bureau Veritas is pressing retailers and their logistics suppliers to ensure they not only have adequate ‘COVID-
18
secure’ measures in place to cope with rising online demand but also address other health and safety associated with sweeping changes in distribution.
Chris Morris, head of key accounts at Bureau Veritas comments: “Facing a socially- distanced Christmas amid a global pandemic, it’s no surprise that a rising chunk of festive shoppers will be turning to online purchasing this year.
“As a result, many high-street and eCommerce retailers, alongside their logistics partners have been working around the clock to improve their online and delivery capabilities in preparation. Whether that’s supermarkets finding new ways to automate their picking and packing processes, or retailers turning their high-street stores into temporary distribution points, in the rush to cope with the potential tsunami of online orders, firms must not overlook the plethora of added risks this presents.
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