Covid-19 - Neighbourhood Retailer

Wilko apologises for saying staff could work with Covid

Linda Stewart — Tue, 15 Mar 2022 10:27:06 +0000

Retail chain Wilko has apologised for “some miscommunication” after it told staff they could continue to work if they tested positive for Covid.

In a memo, the company said staff with the virus could continue to work in stores if they felt well enough to.

Wilko confirmed the memo was sent out and the firm has since made a U-turn.

“When we get something wrong, we hold our hands up, admit it, and work to correct the situation,” the firm said.

Jerome Saint-Marc, Wilko chief executive, said he wanted to “reassure all our customers and team members” that the company’s advice to staff with Covid symptoms or those who test positive was to stay at home and avoid contact with others.

“As throughout our 92 years on the High Street, the safety and wellbeing of our shoppers and teams is at the heart of our business and we’re truly sorry for any understandable concerns our communications may have raised,” he added.

People with Covid in England are no longer legally required to self-isolate with all restrictions now removed, but it is still recommended.

In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, people are still asked to self-isolate after a positive test.

In Wilko’s initial memo to staff, the company, which has 414 stores in the UK, said: “If you test positive for Covid-19 and feel well you can continue to come to work, if you feel too unwell you can follow the absence policy.”

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Finnebrogue warns of food production standstill if Covid 7-day isolation rules continue

Linda Stewart — Mon, 10 Jan 2022 09:55:02 +0000

A leading figure at Co Down food company Finnebrogue Artisan has warned that production lines could grind to a halt if the requirement of seven-day isolation for Covid-19 cases continues.

Jago Pearson, chief strategy officer at the Downpatrick-based business, has called on the Government to reduce the period to five days.

“For food production, the largest manufacturing sector in Britain, mass quarantining of healthy workers threatens to grind production lines to a halt,” said Mr Pearson, writing in the Belfast Telegraph.

The company employs 1,200 people in the manufacture of sausages, bacon and plant-based products. It is a major supplier to UK supermarkets.

Mr Pearson said: “We currently have up to 5% absence attributable to Covid, but are concerned this will rise in coming weeks without action on isolation rules.

“Anything over 10% will put our production lines under significant pressure.”

New rules have cut the previous requirement for a 10-day self-isolation period to seven days, provided a patient can provide negative lateral flow results on day six and day seven, but Prime Minister Boris Johnston has said he would consider cutting the isolation period if it could be shown not to increase infection.

Mr Pearson said that the policy of seven-day isolation was “putting the NHS under almost intolerable strain”.

“Iceland boss Richard Walker has called for isolation to be cut to five days. His call will be echoed by the whole food industry,” he said.

“We have done so much to keep our staff safe throughout the pandemic by implementing advanced protection and prevention measures at considerable cost.

“Their efforts to feed the nation have been extraordinary. But now we need Government to relax isolation rules — not just to save the NHS — but our essential food industry too.”

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Community Pharmacy NI urges customers not to hoard lateral flow tests

Linda Stewart — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 11:22:47 +0000

Demand for lateral flow tests in Northern Ireland is outstripping supply, according to Peter Rice, the chair of Community Pharmacy NI.

Warning patients only to get the tests if they need them, he said the main problem is getting supplies out from the central store to pharmacies.

At the end of last month, new Covid-19 testing measures were put in place to cope with the rise in demand for PCR tests as the Omicron variant spread.

Fully vaccinated people who are identified as close contacts are now advised to take daily lateral flow tests for 10 days following their exposure, but these tests have been hard to come by for many because of the rise in demand.

“The supply is dealt with through one of our wholesalers, but they’re obviously having to focus on the supply of medicine first and foremost,” Mr Rice said.

“It means each pharmacy only gets one box of lateral flow tests per day and in some cases that box is used up within the first hour or so of getting it.”

Liaising

Mr Rice said pharmacies have been in discussion with the Department of Health, but as the supply is a four-country service they have had to make representations to the Department of Health in England.

“We’ve been liaising with the Department of Health hopefully to increase the supplies so instead of getting one box there’s the potential to get two boxes,” he said.

“But at the minute it’s just a matter of being patient. If the public can realise that obviously pharmacies are under quite significant pressure with Omicron, with staff shortages and with the increased workload of coronavirus.

“So we’d really ask the public to be patient and only come forward if they need the testing kits and not to be hoarding them.”

A Londonderry pharmacist has said his business is more stretched now than any other stage of the pandemic.

Liam Bradley, who has 12 pharmacy branches across Northern Ireland, said he has had to reduce opening hours because of the number of staff self-isolating.

Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle, Mr Bradley said he believes the situation is going to get worse before it gets better.

“We’ve never had a situation like this before where we’ve had more than one pharmacist off at a time,” he said.

“It really has meant that we are juggling staff around making sure that we have a pharmacist in each branch, so that the branch can serve the community in which it is based.”

Mr Bradley said there had been huge demand for lateral flow tests.

“The Department of Health released a huge number of lateral flow tests into community pharmacies on Monday, but they are all gone,” he said.

“We got enough supplies that I thought it would have done us several weeks, but they were used up within a day and a half.”

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NI’s community pharmacies surpass 250K vaccination milestone

Linda Stewart — Wed, 15 Dec 2021 10:31:38 +0000

Northern Ireland’s community pharmacies have now administered 250,000 COVID-19 vaccinations as the professional teams continue to push ahead with the expanding vaccination service.

The 250,000-vaccine milestone encompasses the primary and booster vaccinations administered since the sector’s inclusion in the vaccination programme in March 2021.

Community pharmacy is now the main provider of first and second COVID-19 vaccination doses as well as delivering the booster vaccination to those eligible through community pharmacy (currently those aged over 30 and three months on from their second vaccine dose).

Over 250 community pharmacies are currently providing the Moderna booster vaccination for all those who are eligible.

Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy NI, Gerard Greene said: “Reaching this significant milestone is a credit to the work and dedication of our community pharmacy teams. The network joined the vaccination programme back in March and since then has been working incredibly hard to maximise the levels of protection against COVID-19 across our communities.

“Administering 250,000 vaccines in nine months shows the value of accessible and convenient community pharmacy locations and community pharmacy teams have played a significant role in getting overall numbers to where they are today.

“During the recent Community Pharmacy ‘Big Jab Weekend’ over sixty local pharmacies vaccinated over 11,000 people with their COVID-19 vaccine or booster, which is a tremendous achievement.

Busy week

“As we approach some of the busiest weeks in the year for community pharmacy, our pharmacy teams will be working hard to dispense the medicines patients will need for the Christmas and new year holiday periods. I would ask the public to be patient as this may affect the availability of the COVID-19 vaccination service at some community pharmacies in the lead up to and over the festive season.”

Sean Grimley, community pharmacist at Pharmacy Plus said: “As a community pharmacist, I’ve seen daily the benefit of providing the COVID-19 vaccine to those living locally in the community. Community pharmacy is the first choice for many in our neighborhoods, including the elderly and those unable to travel, due to our convenient location and the fact that patients trust us. It has been really encouraging to be able to provide primary and booster jabs to our patients and support them throughout this period.

“Working in the community, we are live to the concerns from patients in relation to increased COVID-19 transmissibility and ease of access to vaccines which is why it is so important that we continue to provide all doses required to give the maximum protection possible and allay the concerns patients might have.”

To find your nearest participating community pharmacy, visit: http://www.hscboard.hscni.net/booster-covid19-vaccination/

Caption: (L-R): Community pharmacist, Ryan McKinstry; pharmacy team member, Claire McQuade; Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy NI, Gerard Greene; pharmacy team member, Marjorie McCowan; and community pharmacist, Liam Grimley.

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More Irish shoppers choosing local food and drink since pandemic

Linda Stewart — Wed, 03 Nov 2021 10:41:30 +0000

Nine in 10 shoppers are actively choosing locally produced food and drinks, according to a new survey by The Foundation.

The research reveals that 93% of consumers now actively choose to buy local food and drink brands, with almost one in three (27%) sasying they ‘always’ now choose local.

Conducted in September 2021 with shoppers across Ireland and Northern Ireland, the research by branding and marketing agency The Foundation and FN Research was commissioned to examine the importance of local food and drink across the island of Ireland, and how COVID-19 has impacted on shopping habits.

The research reveals that 55% of shoppers are buying more local products compared to pre-pandemic, and 86% would like a quick way to identify local food and drink producers.

When asked why they choose to buy local, supporting the economy is a core motivator, with 81% of respondents in ROI and 76% of Northern Irish respondents stating this as their top reason. Other key motivators were stated as ‘better quality’ (47%) and traceability (47%).

The study also discovered that there’s shopper demand for clear origin labelling, with 86% of consumers saying they would value a quick and easy way to identify local food and drink when shopping. A high majority of respondents (71%) said that they can’t always find local brands when shopping.

Increase in local

Brendan Gallen, Strategy Director of The Foundation, said: “We know that consumers want to buy local – this has been a trend for some years. However, our research suggests that this has significantly increased since pre-pandemic times with over 1 in 2 people now buying ‘more’ local products.

“An overwhelming majority of shoppers are now actively choosing to support local brands, and for brands here, this is a huge opportunity.”

Erin Nixon, Client Services Director with The Foundation said: “‘Supporting local is where food and drink brands here have the upper hand on international names. It’s vital that Irish and Northern Irish producers differentiate their offering by not only communicating the quality of their products, but to dial up their local credentials.

“For retailers, there’s also a win in increasing shelf space and the visibility of local producers in-store. The demand is there – consumers are actively choosing to shop local.”

The research also discovered that ‘purpose’ is now an important factor when it comes to choice. 8 in 10 (79%) of consumers support local food and drink brands who are active in their community with the same number citing ‘local heritage’ as an important factor. For the 18-24 age group, their interest in food and drink selection spikes when it comes to brands being involved in the community.

Sense of purpose

Fiona Norman, Founder of FN Research said: “Purpose and sustainability have become important factors over the past five years. This is now particularly prominent when it comes to young shoppers who are actively making decisions based on a brand’s values and its involvement in society. Supporting this, our research found that 70% said that the food miles associated with a product was an important factor when choosing food and drink products.”

The research also found more than half of respondents visited food and drink websites from time to time (55%) and 48% of respondents look up food and drink brands online, underpinning the need for local producers to tell their story and build a wider narrative around their marketing.

Fiona said: “Young shoppers are more curious by nature and are looking for rich information on a brand’s origin, its carbon footprint and how it contributes to communities. It’s important for brands to consider this messaging as young shoppers in particular move on very quickly and choose elsewhere if this information isn’t easily located.”

Brendan Gallen from The Foundation said: “With consumers making more considered choices when it comes to food and drink products, companies’ brand stories are more important than ever before. Ensuring a clear, local and consistent brand story that lives both on and offline is essential to helping businesses avail of this opportunity and in creating a strong affinity with shoppers.”

Almost 500 consumers across Northern Ireland and Ireland participated in the online survey which was conducted in September 2021.

Caption: Erin Nixon and Brendan Gallen at the launch of Irish food drink producers research

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