Southern Co-op has donated £10,500 to the Retail Trust, a charity supporting retail industry workers, to help provide assistance to frontline staff across the UK.
Donation from summer campaign
The contribution comes from Southern Co-op's Pop in and Win summer activity, which offered customers the chance to win their shopping for free. For every free shop awarded, £1 was pledged to the Retail Trust.
The £10,500 will help fund the charity's Let's Respect Retail campaign, which provides specialist training, emotional support and access to counselling to help colleagues respond to and recover from abusive incidents.
Christmas kindness push
The Retail Trust will also encourage shoppers to show kindness and respect towards retail workers in the run up to Christmas, highlighting how small gestures such as a greeting, a thank you or a smile can make a real difference during one of the busiest periods of the year.
Hundreds of other businesses will also back the campaign by joining the charity in calling for more respect for staff and increasing support for employees.
Reactions from leaders
Rebecca Longyear, community lead at Southern Co-op, said: “We’re really pleased that our summer campaign has not only helped thousands of customers, but has also raised money for such an important cause.
“Our colleagues work incredibly hard to support their communities every day, and everyone deserves to feel safe and respected at work. We’re so proud to support the Retail Trust and the important work it does to make a difference to retail workers across the country.”
Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of the Retail Trust, said: “This generous donation from Southern Co-op and its customers will allow us to provide even more help to retail workers at risk of abuse as Christmas gets closer and shoppers come under more pressure.
“We’ll be training staff, providing support to those affected and encouraging everyone to show more respect towards the people working hard to serve us. Even something as simple as a greeting or a smile can go a long way, especially for someone facing daily disrespect and hostility.”
