NEWS SPECIAL
COVID-19 UPDATE FOR ALL THE LATEST CORONAVIRUS NEWS, HEAD TO WWW.SLRMAG.CO.UK/CATEGORY/NEWS/
midst of the second English
MULTS FACE NON-ESSENTIAL ITEMS CHALLENGE
lockdown are no longer
SUPERMARKETS ARE FACING MASSIVE LOGISTICAL AND IN-STORE
BIG ISSUES Big Issue North sellers in the
permitted to sell the magazine. This means that they are not eligible for furlough, and as they cannot work from home, hundreds of homeless and vulnerably housed people are now without a source of desperately needed income.
CASH DEPOSIT SLUMP Cash deposits by business and personal customers at Post Office branches in October totalled £1.91bn, a drop of £92m compared with September. The introduction
S
CHALLENGES AS THEY ARE FORCED TO BLOCK OFF PARTS OF THEIR STORES UNDER LOCKDOWN IN ENGLAND.
upermarkets are facing tough decisions and challenges under the latest lockdown restrictions in England as they must block off parts of their stores following government advice. The guidance said that, from 5 November, shops in England that have “sufficiently distinct parts” such as mezzanine levels were told they should close the areas selling non-essential items, often non-food products such as clothing or homewares.
The major supermarkets have all stated they are complying with regulations, although some are advising customers that staff can instead collect items from restricted areas on their behalf.
of circuit breaks and tiered restrictions in parts of the UK were blamed for the fall.
ASSEMBLY BACKS USDAW Retail trade union Usdaw has welcomed London Assembly support for the union’s Freedom From Fear campaign. A successful motion expressed concern about the level of abuse and violence against shopworkers and called on the Government to support The Assaults on Retail Workers (Offences) Bill.
HARRY HELPS FIGHT HUNGER The team has been making up packages for those who are struggling and have been supported by customers who have also made donations, in a bid to help local people in need. The 1,500sq ft store, which opened at the beginning of March just as the coronavirus outbreak hit, has quickly established a place in the community; the launch of the foodbank is in response to the support it has received. The store is operated by the Ahmed family and owner Harry Ahmed says he wants to help locals in any way possible. He said: “We are very grateful to have our business here and to be doing well thanks to the support of the locals. We just wanted to help and give something back and we have seen how much some people are struggling right now. Nobody needs to feel embarrassed. We just ask that people contact us.”
10 I SLRMAG.CO.UK / ISSUE 30 / WEDNESDAY 11TH NOVEMBER 2020
