Tesco's decision to launch a pop-up store at the NHS Nightingale Hospital in Birmingham is a "fresh and proactive" approach to support workers on the front line, a leading retail analyst has said.
Nigel Frith, a senior market analyst at www.asktraders.com was commenting following Tesco's announcement that it had started work on the pop-up store at the NEC Birmingham complex, which is due to be completed by the end of this week.
The retailer is also in 'late stage' discussions with other NHS Nightingale sites around the UK, adding that it hoped that the Birmingham store is 'the first of several pop-up Tesco stores to help NHS staff access the essentials they need, as quickly and conveniently as possible'.
'New And Inventive'
As Frith wrote in a briefing note, "Supermarkets are continuously coming up with new and inventive ways to help NHS staff during the pandemic, and its good to see fresh and proactive approaches to provide for our key workers on the front line.
"With Morrison's offering a hospital click and collect food box service, Tesco will be there on the front line with our key workers."
He added that not only do pop-up stores reduce the risk of the virus spreading, but they also enable key workers to "have access to essentials during the pandemic and not be bombarded with the select few who are still panic buying.
"Adding to this, the 24-hour access can, therefore, allow the NHS to shop at any point during the day instead of waiting for stores to open if key workers are on unsocial shifts."
© 2020 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
