The spread of the coronavirus is currently creating uncertainty in everyone’s lives. In these times, it has become even more important to take responsibility for each other and for people’s health living around us.

In order to be able to ensure the safety and health of customers and site staff these days, Shell has further strengthened its hygiene and disinfection rules at all filling stations in Hungary. Frequently used surfaces and the areas where customers and staff are mostly around are disinfected regularly, several times a day. Thus, the areas used by the customers, the rooms used for cooking and the staff rooms are also cleaned with great care. For refuelling, disposable plastic gloves were placed to the dispensers, while the stocks last.

In addition, further measures have been introduced to minimize the spread of the virus. In order to minimize contact between employees and customers, as well as customer contact with each other, customers are warned by signs to keep the appropriate distance of 1.5-2 m. In addition, a maximum of five people can stay in the shops, a dividing plexiglass wall has been placed at the cashier desk, and staff welcomes customers in mask and rubber gloves. The card terminals are turned towards the customer, so they can manage to arrange all card payments (bank cards, Shell fuel cards and ClubSmart cards) with self-service. Foods are only available pre-packed and customers are encouraged to buy in takeaway form. Now, the use of tables and chairs in the seating area is not permitted.

In addition to the extra measures, Shell welcomes all not-everyday heroes during this emergency situation, and invites all paramedics, doctors, nurses, police officers, soldiers, firefighters and truck drivers to the filling station for a delicious Caffé Perté cappuccino or espresso for free. More than 15,000 Shell filling stations in 30 countries have joined this initiative.

More information can be found on the shell.hu and Shell Facebook page.

In the current, extraordinary situation there is more need of little helps than ever. Therefore, Tesco gives a one-off food donation to support the work of the Hungarian Food Bank Association and the Hungarian Interchurch Aid and the families in need supported by them. The sum amount of the donation is 42 million HUF.

Tesco is committed to support the communities where its colleagues and customers are living. Despite the extraordinary circumstances, thanks to its colleagues’ effort, Tesco is able to continue the cooperation with the Hungarian Food Bank and support people in need with its daily food surplus donation programme. Just last week Tesco donated 75 tonnes of food to support those in need in Hungary.

Besides maintaing the daily cooperation with Hungarian Food Bank, Tesco decided to give a one-off support to families in need. The company gives a food donation to those who need it the most through its strategic partners, the Hungarian Food Bank Association and the Hungarian Interchurch Aid. The donation was funded by the reallocation of the budget of the spring edition of the company’s You Choose, We Help programme which has to be cancelled due to current situation.

The support is provided in the form of food and other essential products (e.g.: baby care, detergent, canned meat, long life milk, marmalade and other durable food), the actual list and number of products donated is constructed in cooperation with the recipient organisations, and the first delivery was already received.

Tesco is committed to tackling food waste. Therefore, the chain is operating its daily food surplus donation programme, in which the colleagues are collecting the fruits, vegetables and bakery products which are still perfectly edible but cannot be sold and donate them to people in need. In Hungary since September 2014 until the end of February 2020 Tesco donated almost 26 000 tonnes of food, equalling to more than 64 million of meals. The daily food surplus donation programme is currently operating in more than 170 stores in Hungary, the donation is continuos and safe despite the pandemic.

SPAR and INTERSPAR stores are open from Monday to Friday averagely between 6:30 and 19 o’clock, on Saturday and Sunday the opening hours differ by each store henceforward, in the meantime measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus continue further.

SPAR Magyarország Kereskedelmi Kft. reconstituted the opening hours on all of their domestic SPAR and INTERSPAR stores concerning the state of emergency and the changes in customer habits. The store units are open from Monday to Friday averagely between 6:30 and 19 o’clock, on Saturday and Sunday the opening hours differ by each stores henceforward. The current opening hours are available on the SPAR website listed by each store: https://www.spar.hu/nyitvatartas-valtozas

Webshop – without cash flow

SPAR modified the operation of webshop as well regarding the current situation. From 17.03.2020 payment for the placed orders is possible now only in advance online. With this step, SPAR would like to decrease the time of personal contact between delivery staff and customers. The decision do not apply for the previously placed orders, the payment of those is carried out by the option determined by the customer earlier. SPAR asks the webshop customers to give information beforehand during ordering, if they request delivery to restricted area because of health reasons, as SPAR colleagues are not allowed to enter into endangered area.
Important news is that from 30.03.2020 SPAR Online Shop, as reacting to the increased order numbers, extends the available time slots. On weekdays, a new time slot becomes available which enables delivery between 22 and 23 o’clock.

Quantitative restrictions entered into force

Regarding the state of emergency ordered by the Hungarian Government, SPAR has taken many extraordinary measures in order to that the supply of food to the population can remain continuous and balanced. SPAR asks for patience and cooperation from its customers in relation to the introduced quantitative restrictions, thus also helping the issue that everybody can get to sufficient food. Concerning the shoppings at the webshop and in stores:
· in case of products in bulk 5 kg/product,
· in case of products sold in pieces 10 pieces/product is the quantity limit per person.

„SPAR cooperating together with its suppliers similar to the recent weeks makes every effort to be able to treat the increased demands. However, it may occur that for shorter periods in some stores the refilling time of certain products because of time required for product supplement can be longer than as usual, therefore we asks for the understanding of our customers. SPAR strongly recommends to the population not to pile up unnecessarily much food at home!” – said Márk Maczelka, Head of Communication at SPAR.

Facilitation in case of contactless payments

During the epidemological state of emergency in the interest of easier and faster payments, in case of contactless card payments the 5000 HUF limit on compulsory use of PIN-code is modified to 15 000 HUF from today. According to this, at payments over 15 000 HUF asks only the credit card terminal the PIN code in the SPAR stores as well. SPAR would like to call the attention to that if the number of successive contactless payments reaches 5 or their amount reaches 150 EUR, the bank that issued the card is obliged to identify the customer, for example by asking the PIN code. Thus it may occasionally happen that the terminal authorizes the payment transactions below the 15 000 HUF limit only by giving the PIN code.

Loyalty reward to the employees

In the last few weeks, SPAR employees testified their high level of commitment and dedication to work, which is rewarded by a new benefit from the store chain. According to the regulation that remains valid until withdrawal, SPAR accounts gross 400 HUF loyalty reward after all hours worked to employees working in the stores, in the field of logistics and in food production plants, which is transferred to the bank accounts together with the monthly salary. The reward is granted from day of entry to day of exit on each hour actually worked by the employee beginning from 16th March 2020 until withdrawal. As coronavirus poses high risk to elderly people, from 18th March 2020, SPAR exempts from work its 65-year-old and older employees including those, who reach the age of 65 this year. For the period of measure taken to health protection, SPAR colleagues exempted from work temporarily are entitled to a remuneration suitable for the legislative provision.

Safety of customers and colleagues

SPAR pays special attention also to the safety of its employees and takes every expected measure in the future as well. In the interest of helping the work of employees, SPAR increased
the flexibility of taking breaks to ensure the possibility to wash hands more frequently. SPAR provided to all of their employees gloves and disinfectants and started to settle the plexiglass against breath at the cashdesks that serves the security of both customers and colleagues. Placement of floor stickers has also started that helps to keep distance between each other within the store.

For SPAR, the convenience and safety of customers is highly important and it takes every expected measure not only now, but also in the future. SPAR increased the quantity of their orders on own disinfectants and detergents, and cleaning continues to be extremely thorough in the stores.

SPAR asks their customers countrywide for the followings:
– Pay attention also during shopping to the general recommendations of National Public Health Centre, according to which being in the retail stores the customers do not touch their faces with their hand, especially the lips, nose and eyes!
– Please, follow the hygienic protocol of coughing and breathing! In case of coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with one of your elbows or with a handkerchief, then threw the handkerchief into a closed dustbin as soon as possible! Do not cough or sneeze onto the people being in the stores or onto the placed food products or other products!
– We recommend you not to come to shopping in the peak period!
– We suggest to shop alone!
– Do not take the children with you to shopping as possible!
– If possible, our elderly customers ask for the help of youngsters around them regarding shopping and do not leave their homes if it is not necessary!
– We help our customers at the service counters and cashdesks with floor stickers to keep distance from each other. Please, keep this required distance!
– All breads sold previously without packaging, we offer in packaged form in the SPAR and INTERSPAR stores from now. The fresh products, from which you can select, do not catch with bare hands, use the tool placed for this purpose or a plastic bag in the sales area, possibly a paper bag into which you can wrap the product!

The store chain supports with sandwiches and 1.5 million HUF donation the civil initiative Feed the Doctor!, which takes care of hot lunch for more than 100 healthcare workers – free of charge.

The chef, Márton Keve and his team in the Easy Wine Budapest Bisztró downtown prepares 100 portions of hot lunch daily for the workers of Szent László Hospital. For the performance of operational tasks of the collaboration, a complete crew was established among others from the teams and volunteers of Borganika, Easy Wine and Menedékház Foundation.

SPAR Magyarország Kereskedelmi Kft. supplies not only raw material for the hot lunch, it provides also cold food – pre-packaged sandwiches prepared in SPAR enjoy. convenience plant in Üllő – for doctors and healthcare workers of many hospitals in the capital city taking part in the fight against coronavirus.

„It is inexpressible in Forint and food, how grateful and thankful we are to the healthcare workers. We encourage all our partners and customers to cooperation and we ask everyone to comply with the rules required by the authorities to control the epidemic” – said Márk Maczelka, head of communication at SPAR.

Our newest member company is Amundi Asset Management Hungary, which has been dealing with fund management, collective portfolio management and investment management in Hungary since 1992. In 2018, it had an annual turnover of 2222 million and had 20 employees. As the number one leader, Sándor Vízkeleti has been managing the company’s operations since 2006.

The group is committed to financing a sustainable economy, and sustainability criteria are becoming increasingly important in its investment activities. Their operations and reference index are determined by the so-called ESG principles. ESG acronym stands for Environmental, social and governmental, and its approach ranks investments based on these main sustainability factors. The company has incorporated the UN’s sustainability criteria into its policy and excludes companies, that pollute the environment, violate social responsibility and fair corporate governance from its investment palette.

The company can ensure its transparent operations, as its core business is regulated officially, thus the fulfillment of the promises made is under constant control. Internal ethical operations are ensured through the Code of Ethics and Conduct, internal regulations, the criteria, moreover their memberships in international organizations.

Amundi wants to be one of the companies standing at the forefront of sustainability. By joining BCSDH, they expect to expand their knowledge in this area, and their goal is to make Hungary more inclusive to sustainable investments.