Several SPAR Austria stores are dispensing PCR test kits in order to help the government handle the resurgence of COVID-19.
Three dispensing locations have recently been added to the 25 SPAR stores offering the tests in Lower Austria, the retailer noted.
SPAR Austria Test Kits
The group has outlined plans for 34 more SPAR stores to be added to the existing 28 outlets
Lower Austrian regional councillor for health, Ulrike Königsberger-Ludwig, said, "The high infection figures and high demand have recently necessitated some adjustments in the roll-out of the project.
"It is all the more gratifying that, thanks to the commitment of the SPAR retail chain in support of the Novogenia laboratory, it has now been possible to extend the offer."
Two weeks ago, SPAR Austria responded to the shortage of test sets by putting a plan in place to address the issue.
In addition to the contractually fixed deliveries from Novogenia (a lab that tests for COVID-19), a packaging line was ramped up at short notice in Loosdorf, which produces 100,000 test sets per week.
The Austrian Armed Forces are also helping and are currently supporting the packing line with 50 people.
The SPAR logistics' know-how and a large network of suppliers have helped to procure missing components for the test sets.
"We in Lower Austria are not looking for guilty parties, but for solutions. Within two weeks, we were able to successfully support with our teams in good cooperation and meet the demand for the test sets. I say thank you to all those involved from the state, Novogenia and our employees," explained SPAR managing director, Alois Huber.
Test Kit Hoarding
To prevent the hoarding of test kits, the Austria introduced a dispensing regulation in the form of online registration since Monday, 15 November 2021.
On the first day, 27,000 test kits were issued, followed by 14,000 on Tuesday, and 11,000 on Wednesday.
Since then, there has been no sell-outs in the SPAR stores.
The test kits, which can be collected by one person, contain ten individual tests.
Thus, one person has sufficient supply of tests for 14 days, as the validity of a test is 72 hours.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine. Article by Conor Farrelly. For more Retail news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
