Superdrug owner unveils £40m employee support package

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Mar 23, 2020

A.S. Watson, the Hong Kong-based group behind Superdrug, the Perfume Shop and Savers, has set aside £40 million to support employees who are unable to work due to sickness or self-isolation.

More than 18,000 people work for the group across the three UK retail brands, serving in 1,550 stores. All Superdrug, Savers and Perfume Shop stores in the UK are still open, including 200 pharmacies. 

Malina Ngai, group COO and CEO Asia & Europe of A.S. Watson, said the support package has been developed based on the philosophy that no member of staff should be worse off financially because of the crisis.

Peter Macnab, CEO of A.S. Watson Health & Beauty UK, commented: “The support package aims to give our colleagues reassurance and help to give them an immediate relief in financial pressure. They work very hard to keep our stores open and customers’ online purchases delivered. We are incredibly proud of our teams who are dedicated to making sure our customers can continue to access important health and personal care essentials, as well as prescriptions, in such an unprecedented time.”

The group-wide arrangement aims to ensure that those who are unable to work continue to receive full pay. This includes people who have tested positive, those who have to self isolate and parents who are unable to work remotely due to school closures.  

In addition to the stores, the retailers operate online shops, with Superdrug and Savers seeing a significant increase in online traffic for both click-and-collect and home delivery. 

Ngai concluded: “In this challenging time, our top priority is to look after our people and our customers. Our brands are built by our people. Without their hard work and dedication, we would not be able to serve our customers so well. Financially, it’s not an easy decision but it is the right decision under such circumstances.”