Our Approach to Staying Covid Secure

Throughout the Covid-19 Pandemic, we have followed the government guidance issued by the relevant Governments in each of our locations, to ensure our operations are carried out in a way that reduces the risk as far as possible in relation to Covid-19 and to provide a safe environment for our colleagues and our customers.

In the following sections we have summarised how we have achieved a Covid secure workplace to enable us work safely together.

This process started with carrying out a Covid-19 Risk Assessment to develop individual risk assessments for each of our stores, our distribution centres and our office facilities.

The findings from our risk assessments have been communicated across the business and can be accessed through our internal communications system. 

CLEANING & HYGIENE

As a retailer, we pride ourselves on the cleanliness standards within our stores and we have cleaning processes in place for all our operations. We have reviewed and further developed these to reduce risk during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In our stores, we have increased the frequency of handwashing for colleagues, implemented a programme of targeted cleaning of touch points and equipment at specific intervals, and we have reduced the amount of touch points associated to the products we sell.  We also continue to provide sanitiser for our shop teams and customers to use throughout our stores.

Additional, we work closely with our business partners to ensure achievement of their and our cleaning and hygiene procedures.

Within our distribution centres, we have increased handwashing facilities and frequency, we have increased the cleaning frequency for touch points and we have provided hand sanitiser for colleague use throughout the site and within delivery vehicles.

 

HOME AND FLEXIBLE WORKING

During the pandemic the majority of our office and support teams transitioned to homeworking, enabled by the deployment of IT hardware and software technology.  We restricted travel across our shop estate and logistics centres to essential visits only.

As we transition back to normal working we will continue to support all our colleagues and adapt to new ways of working.

 

SOCIAL DISTANCING

Whilst the current requirements are mixed across the UK, we continue to respect colleague’s and customer’s space by maintaining a respectful distance where we can within our stores.  We have also simplified workflows and processes.  Currently we will maintain our screens at our till points to provide continued protection and reassurance to staff and customers.  We have also implemented other supporting processes to assist including scheduling deliveries and completing maintenance and servicing outside of trading hours where possible.

Within our Distribution centres we have reviewed all site operations, changed workflows and operational processes, we have staggered start times for colleagues, made changes to canteen and toilet facilities.  

 

MASKS AND FACE COVERINGS

Where the wearing of masks continues to be legally mandated, staff will continue to do so and we will encourage customers to also meet this requirement.

Many of our locations are within airports and other locations where our business partners continue to require staff and customers to wear masks.  We also currently believe that this is a sensible precaution and in line with government guidance to wear masks inside enclosed spaces and where you come into contact with persons you would not normally meet.  We also feel that this provides further reassurance to our passengers and customers.

Therefore, whilst transmission rates remain high in the community, at all our retail locations and where staff need to work together, similar to other large retailers, we have elected to continue to ask our staff to wear face coverings.

 

We will continue to work closely with all of our colleagues and business partners to ensure we give them the protection and support they need and act swiftly on any feedback.

 World Duty Free Group

February 2022

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