Swine flu is excuse the pun a pig of a problem for the supermarkets. The last thing they want is for consumers to spread the virus while doing their shopping or to start viewing supermarkets as no-go zones as they do 'infected' schools.
Centres of the community they may be, centres of a local swine flu outbreak, no thanks. Now, however, the supermarkets are poised to become swine flu centres of a different sort. As part of the new National Pandemic Flu Service, Primary Care Trusts across the country have asked supermarkets with pharmacies to act as collection points for Tamiflu and Relenza.
Asda, Tesco and Morrisons have all agreed to dispense the drugs to 'flu friends' who provide a code supplied by the telephone service on diagnosis. Only Sainsbury's has abstained, saying it will supply drugs when presented with a prescription but not when presented with a code. Its concern is that in acting as an official collection point it will increase "the risk to shoppers and colleagues". So, given the perceived dangers, to what extent should supermarkets play the role of a swine flu HQ distributing drugs and disseminating information? And how robust are their contingency plans when it comes to staff?
Now that the health authorities' focus has switched from prevention to containment and public paranoia is making way for pragmatism, there is less of a stigma attached to the virus and more of an acceptance that the supermarkets could and should do their bit to help tackle it.
Predictably, they continue to play their cards close to their chests. "The press are seizing on anything to do with swine flu and we don't want to alarm people," says one senior insider. Retailers won't want to trigger panic buying, adds industry consultant Kevin Hawkins. "How they react will depend largely on how serious the situation becomes," he says.
But experts believe they will become increasingly proactive on the information front in particular. With a third of the UK population visiting a supermarket every week, retailers make perfect public information conduits, says Brian Gunson, chairman of PR company Munro & Forster. "We're not talking about staff in contagion masks handing out leaflets at the door," he says. "Supermarkets communicate with their customers in several ways."
Even if they are not one of the 680 stores with pharmacies or the handful with doctors' surgeries, supermarkets could use their in-store signage to carry the latest national and local swine flu information. Staff manning customer service desks could disseminate DH messages on prevention, treatment and information resources, as could chains' in-house magazines, websites and email newsletters. Sainsbury's says it would be able to give shoppers information at customer services desks (see above) and that it has pharmacists at some stores who could offer advice. Others say they don't have a strategy as such but would take advice from the DH and do what was asked.
The supermarkets also need to ensure their supply chains are able to respond quickly to spikes in demand for certain products. While the distribution of antivirals is a key plank in the DH strategy, most people with swine flu have symptoms similar to seasonal flu and will benefit from treating them with OTC paracetamol-based medicines, so strong availability is vital.
People are also being asked to watch their personal hygiene, which has led to soaring hand sanitiser gel sales. Ocado claims to have seen a 120% rise in the volume of handspray sales since the first cases were announced and David Hughes from antibacterial handwash manufacturer DCS Europe says his firm is barely keeping with demand. "In the year to date our Enliven hand sanitiser has increased sales volumes 500% and growth for the past three months is more than 1,000% year on year," he says.
Stores may well have to expand the space devoted to swine flu-related products, he says. "Stores should provide advisory shelf signs and if necessary steal space from hand soap. There should be a variety of brands, larger packs for around the home, smaller portable sizes and wipes." Hughes also suggests selling hand sanitisers at forecourts and kiosks "anywhere people interface with money changing hands".
Opinion is divided on how important home delivery will be. Some believe consumers will prefer not to visit stores in a major pandemic, but others point out this didn't happen when bird flu threatened. Indeed, says Lyndon Bird, technical director of the Business Continuity Institute, "some stores considered cutting home delivery in the past as they didn't want to expose their drivers to sick people".
Staff are, of course, the other half of the equation. As with their consumer-facing swine flu strategies, the supermarkets are cagey about revealing details of their contingency plans. However, they insist, plans are in place. "We have had teams carrying out scenario planning on everything from personnel to distribution and logistics," says an Asda spokesperson. "We are ready to hit the button when the time comes."
Retailers are working to ensure all staff have access to antivirals as quickly as possible, adds Alison Brown, chief executive of Healthcare Connections. "We are already in discussions with one of the leading major supermarket chains, which is looking to sign up its entire workforce to our plans."
Although the government estimates up to 30% of the workforce could be struck down in the worst-case scenario, Bird says "retailers often have a 20% reduction in staff during the summer anyway so have enough flex to cope with an extra 10%".
A pandemic is never going to affect the whole country at the same time, he adds. "Even if things got really bad the big retailers could temporarily close one store and divert resources to others in the area without losing too much revenue. They have plans in place for major fires, so staff shortages are not going to make them panic."
In short, even if the second wave of H1N1 this autumn is more serious than the relatively mild first wave, swine flu is a pig of a problem the major supermarkets seem to be prepared for.
Centres of the community they may be, centres of a local swine flu outbreak, no thanks. Now, however, the supermarkets are poised to become swine flu centres of a different sort. As part of the new National Pandemic Flu Service, Primary Care Trusts across the country have asked supermarkets with pharmacies to act as collection points for Tamiflu and Relenza.
Asda, Tesco and Morrisons have all agreed to dispense the drugs to 'flu friends' who provide a code supplied by the telephone service on diagnosis. Only Sainsbury's has abstained, saying it will supply drugs when presented with a prescription but not when presented with a code. Its concern is that in acting as an official collection point it will increase "the risk to shoppers and colleagues". So, given the perceived dangers, to what extent should supermarkets play the role of a swine flu HQ distributing drugs and disseminating information? And how robust are their contingency plans when it comes to staff?
Now that the health authorities' focus has switched from prevention to containment and public paranoia is making way for pragmatism, there is less of a stigma attached to the virus and more of an acceptance that the supermarkets could and should do their bit to help tackle it.
Predictably, they continue to play their cards close to their chests. "The press are seizing on anything to do with swine flu and we don't want to alarm people," says one senior insider. Retailers won't want to trigger panic buying, adds industry consultant Kevin Hawkins. "How they react will depend largely on how serious the situation becomes," he says.
But experts believe they will become increasingly proactive on the information front in particular. With a third of the UK population visiting a supermarket every week, retailers make perfect public information conduits, says Brian Gunson, chairman of PR company Munro & Forster. "We're not talking about staff in contagion masks handing out leaflets at the door," he says. "Supermarkets communicate with their customers in several ways."
Even if they are not one of the 680 stores with pharmacies or the handful with doctors' surgeries, supermarkets could use their in-store signage to carry the latest national and local swine flu information. Staff manning customer service desks could disseminate DH messages on prevention, treatment and information resources, as could chains' in-house magazines, websites and email newsletters. Sainsbury's says it would be able to give shoppers information at customer services desks (see above) and that it has pharmacists at some stores who could offer advice. Others say they don't have a strategy as such but would take advice from the DH and do what was asked.
The supermarkets also need to ensure their supply chains are able to respond quickly to spikes in demand for certain products. While the distribution of antivirals is a key plank in the DH strategy, most people with swine flu have symptoms similar to seasonal flu and will benefit from treating them with OTC paracetamol-based medicines, so strong availability is vital.
People are also being asked to watch their personal hygiene, which has led to soaring hand sanitiser gel sales. Ocado claims to have seen a 120% rise in the volume of handspray sales since the first cases were announced and David Hughes from antibacterial handwash manufacturer DCS Europe says his firm is barely keeping with demand. "In the year to date our Enliven hand sanitiser has increased sales volumes 500% and growth for the past three months is more than 1,000% year on year," he says.
Stores may well have to expand the space devoted to swine flu-related products, he says. "Stores should provide advisory shelf signs and if necessary steal space from hand soap. There should be a variety of brands, larger packs for around the home, smaller portable sizes and wipes." Hughes also suggests selling hand sanitisers at forecourts and kiosks "anywhere people interface with money changing hands".
Opinion is divided on how important home delivery will be. Some believe consumers will prefer not to visit stores in a major pandemic, but others point out this didn't happen when bird flu threatened. Indeed, says Lyndon Bird, technical director of the Business Continuity Institute, "some stores considered cutting home delivery in the past as they didn't want to expose their drivers to sick people".
Staff are, of course, the other half of the equation. As with their consumer-facing swine flu strategies, the supermarkets are cagey about revealing details of their contingency plans. However, they insist, plans are in place. "We have had teams carrying out scenario planning on everything from personnel to distribution and logistics," says an Asda spokesperson. "We are ready to hit the button when the time comes."
Retailers are working to ensure all staff have access to antivirals as quickly as possible, adds Alison Brown, chief executive of Healthcare Connections. "We are already in discussions with one of the leading major supermarket chains, which is looking to sign up its entire workforce to our plans."
Although the government estimates up to 30% of the workforce could be struck down in the worst-case scenario, Bird says "retailers often have a 20% reduction in staff during the summer anyway so have enough flex to cope with an extra 10%".
A pandemic is never going to affect the whole country at the same time, he adds. "Even if things got really bad the big retailers could temporarily close one store and divert resources to others in the area without losing too much revenue. They have plans in place for major fires, so staff shortages are not going to make them panic."
In short, even if the second wave of H1N1 this autumn is more serious than the relatively mild first wave, swine flu is a pig of a problem the major supermarkets seem to be prepared for.
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