Retail Council releases COVID-19 playbook

May 21, 2020, Toronto, Ont. – Retail Council of Canada (RCC) and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) have released a free guide to aid businesses and online merchants in the general merchandise, drug and grocery sectors plan for the broader reopening of stores across the country.

The guide is called Road to Retail Recovery Playbook – Helping Canadian Retailers Navigate the COVID-19 Crisis.

The guide leverages global best practices for a diverse range of retail formats with the fundamental aim of ensuring a safe environment for employees and customers during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“Reopening the retail sector and putting our economy back on track will require new strategies, new rules, and new competencies,” said Diane J. Brisebois, president and CEO, RCC. “The BCG and RCC partnership has allowed us to address these challenges and provide a strong roadmap for retailers large and small across Canada.”

Retail in Canada comprises more than 145,000 establishments, employing 2.1 million Canadians. As retailers seek to reopen, questions remain as to how to safely guide both customers and employees. The Playbook includes key retail operational components such as customer health and safety, employee wellbeing, retail operations, merchandising and marketing, store network and channel, and finances.

Some of the protocols covered include customer and employee health monitoring, protective equipment, labour planning, store deliveries and vendor visits, delivery options and rent renegotiations.

RCC will continue to play an active role across the country by sharing the Playbook and retail expertise as governments continue to shape and introduce recovery plans.

RCC members represent more than 45,000 storefronts in all retail formats across the country, including grocery.