Supermarkets increasingly becoming go-to-place for people 'staying-at-home' over virus

Jamil Khan, Senior Reporter

The necessary precautionary measures against COVID-19 are in full force all over the country as the government has issued directors for the residents to stay at home for two weeks.

The residents in the UAE turn to supermarkets for food and goods during the current challenging times.

The authorities have decided to close all commercial centres and shopping malls along with fish, meat and vegetable markets for two weeks.

Major supermarket chains including Carrefour and Lulu Hypermarkets already announced they will continue to deliver the daily products without any break especially in the 2-week ‘stay at home’ period.

Beside these, the Grandiose Supermarket, the fast-growing supermarket chain, has taken every precaution and implemented measures to ensure the health and safety of its employees and customers.

In a responsive move to a surge in demand and to support global stay-at-home advice, the eco-friendly chain has expanded its delivery-radius and strengthened its delivery offering to include more areas.

The Marina Branch has prolonged its opening and delivery hours to ensure accessibility to customers 24 hours, 7 days a week. Orders can be placed via phone calls, WhatsApp chat or using the community’s grocery delivery apps, relieving customers of the need to venture out of their homes unnecessarily.

With growing concerns surrounding the availability of sanitised, hygienic shopping destinations, Grandiose Supermarkets are carrying daily health checks of employees in every store. An extensive and thorough cleaning and sanitisation protocol has been implemented, including pre-opening sanitisation and routine disinfection every 45 minutes throughout the store’s opening hours. As part of Grandiose’s commitment to ensure safe social distance, the supermarket is minimising crowds, enabling customers to shop while staying at a safe distance from each other.

In response to COVID-19, it encourages customers to bring their own containers and shopping bags. The store also offers shoppers free sanitary gloves to push the trolleys, sanitisers, cleansing wipes and tissues, limiting their exposure to surfaces and ensuring their safety.

Meanwhile, Philippe Peguilhan, Country Manager of Carrefour UAE at Majid Al Futtaim Retail, in a statement said that while shopping malls are closing in the UAE, "all our stores remain open and are fully stocked for customers, operating at our regular times.

“We encourage all our valued customers to shop responsibly and be mindful of others. We have full confidence in our stock and supply chain and we continue to monitor stock levels to ensure we adequately cater for customer needs. We are also working closely with suppliers to ensure that essential products remain at reasonable prices so that our customers don’t experience an increase in their shopping bills."