Italian retailer Esselunga has announced a number of measures to alleviate the coronavirus emergency that the country is facing.
The retailer has donated €2.5 million to hospitals and institutions involved in taking care of the affected, and engaged in scientific research on the disease.
The donations will be distributed to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases Lazzaro Spallanzani in Rome, the IRCCS San Matteo Foundation in Pavia, the Luigi Sacco Hospital in Milan, the Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital in Bergamo, the Guglielmo da Saliceto Hospital in Piacenza, and the IRCCS Ca 'Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico Foundation, the retailer said.
Shoppers who are members of Esselunga's Carta Fìdaty programme can contribute to these hospitals and research organisations, the retailer said.
The retailer will donate €5 to hospitals for 500 Fìdaty points.
Other Measures
Elsewhere, Esselunga has waived delivery charges for customers above the age of 65 in areas where it offers home delivery from its stores and online platform.
Esselunga CEO Sami Kahale explained, "We cannot stand still and look at the difficulty and general concern caused by the spread of COVID-19. Everyone has to do their part.
"We want to thank doctors, health workers and researchers engaged in the service to the community; our collaborators, who are working tirelessly in the shops and at the same time offering tangible help to older people; as well as our suppliers, who are in many cases small and medium-sized enterprises."
The company has also arranged for a €530 million credit line, in association with Unicredit, in order to pay advances to its suppliers.
© 2020 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
