SPAR Hungary prioritises customer and employee wellbeing

March 20, 2020 IN THE CATEGORY: COVID-19

As the COVID-19 outbreak affects a growing number of communities, SPAR Hungary is fulfilling a vital role as a retailer with great responsibility towards the welfare of both teammembers and customers. To meet peaks in demand during the epidemic and safeguard healthand safety, SPAR Hungary is employing informed recruitment strategies and modern online tools.

Safeguarding team member wellbeing
Senior citizens, as well as those with health issues, are particularly vulnerable to the consequences of being infected with COVID-19. For this reason, all SPAR Hungary team members above the age of 65 have been placed on paid leave starting Wednesday 18 March.

New team members sought

Recruitment drive SPAR Hungary is actively recruiting and training additional team members to help stores throughout the country continue to serve their communities while safeguarding both their own wellbeing and that of customers. SPAR Hungary is looking for people to join their teams throughout the country in the fill positions, including stock pickers and truck drivers. To attract new team member during these trying times, SPAR Hungary has initiated a variety of methods including a social media campaign with postings on Facebook and Instagram, as well as banners on the most popular Hungarian news sites and their own website.

Online solutions
For many customers unable or unwilling to leave their houses during the epidemic, online grocery platforms are an ideal solution. SPAR Hungary runs a highly successful online grocery platform, which it launched in May 2019. This online service is available on all platforms, including smartphones and tablets, contributing to its convenience

Keeping shoppers informed
To keep customers informed of the health and safety procedures being take in stores, SPAR Hungary is making savvy use of online communications. A dedicated section on their website includes answers to many of the questions which customers have around opening times, online shopping solutions, health and safety practices, etc. Using their regular customer newsletter which is mailed out to an extensive number of loyal shoppers, on 20 March SPAR Hungary thanked their employees for all of their commitment and customers for their support. These forms of communications seek to provide customers with the resources to shop responsibly and provide a clear overview of SPAR Hungary’s strategies to continue to provide local communities with their daily necessities.

Instore health and safety
SPAR Hungary is also prioritising instore health and safety with measures such as clear signage and markings to remind customers and staff to keep enough space between each other. Various SPAR stores have also installed modern automatic sanitiser dispensers at their entrance so that customers can sanitise their hands before entering. All SPAR and INTERSPAR stores in Hungary are pre packing bakery products from shelves and self-service showcases. This provides additional prevention measures for all customers to make them feel as secure as possible when purchasing essential foods.

The quantity of decontamination and cleaning procedures has been increased. Gloves and disinfectants are available for all colleagues. Screens to protect customers and colleagues are installed at cash desks.

Source: SPAR Hungary