ETRC issues guidelines for retailers ahead of post-COVID-19 reopening

EUROPE. The European Travel Retail Confederation (ETRC) has issued a set of Best Practice Guidelines for travel retailers planning to reopen shops in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The organisation said that the priority was to minimise health risks to employees and travellers. Key measures are focused around protection of staff, protection of customers and accompanying in-store initiatives such as strict hygiene protocols, protective equipment and communications. These also need to be seen in the context of airport shops being different environments to domestic market shops, noted the ETRC.

The ETRC outlines its position on key COVID-19-related issues via a dedicated page on its website

Best Practice Measures should include:

*Protection of staff − Effective training to ensure the highest and most appropriate standards of customer service and product handling, as well as welfare of staff

− Availability of protective equipment (masks, sanitary gels, gloves)

− Plastic screens at till points

− Signage at cash register area to encourage payment card usage (especially contactless payments)

*Protection of customers

− Communications to customers on social distancing and hygiene measures

− Clear signage on social distancing in the shops including further spacing with clear signage to ensure appropriate distancing at the cash register area (floor markers)

− Availability of hygiene equipment (hand sanitisers, sanitary gels stations)

*Accompanying in-store measures

− Strict hygiene protocols including regular cleaning and disinfecting of contact points (floors, shelves etc) and equipment (tills, shopping baskets, card readers etc)

− Strict hygiene protocols for all goods delivered to the store (all supplies arriving in outer boxes and goods to be placed in store by staff with gloves)

− For large walk-through stores, streamlined organisation of shop furniture to ensure steady and efficient flow of passengers at a safe distance, including supervision of passenger access and movement in the shop, and adapted central aisles to increase flow and comfort

− For smaller stores, such as specialist stores, the same principle as for small stores on the High Street may apply. Here, a limited number of customers is permitted to enter the store at any one time, with social distancing within the store.

Ensuring staff remain safe and protective measures are employed around payment, queues and in-store distancing are key, says ETRC

ETRC said: “We are confident that the proposed measures will allow duty free and travel retail shops to reopen safely and simultaneously with the resumption of viable passenger traffic numbers, and quickly build passenger confidence to travel again, while providing vital revenue for the recovery of the passenger transport ecosystem.

“ETRC would recommend that those measures and those taken by other partners in the aviation and maritime passenger transport are supported by an EU communications campaign aiming at reassuring passengers, boost confidence in transport and support the recovery of tourism in Europe.”

In other news, with its national and regional associations the ETRC has also sent letters to all EU Transport Ministers in advance of an informal EU Transport Council meeting on COVID-19 to be held on Wednesday.

ETRC has reiterated its call for:

    • The duty free & travel retail channel to receive the same consideration for economic support as that given to other parts of the passenger transport industry to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 crisis
    • EU governments to further extend financial support schemes and implement targeted measures to protect the channel
    • Travel restrictions to be lifted in a coordinated and harmonised way across Europe
    • Governments to take account of the specific needs required for travel retail shops to resume operations and ensure passengers gain the confidence to travel again.

The ETRC website now has a dedicated page in response to the COVID-19 crisis, including ETRC communications, as well as relevant links and resources for the European region.

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