Discount retail giant Home Bargains is launching a £30m Coronavirus Fund to help its staff through the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Liverpool-based chain will pay staff who have to self-isolate for two weeks and support those who have to isolate for longer.
The company, which employs more than 22,000 people, says it has a "robust supply chain" in place to keep its stores stocked - and each store will prioritise vulnerable customers during its first hour of opening every day.
The statement to staff, made on Twitter on Wednesday evening, said: “Thank you for your amazing work during this unprecedented time.
“We want you to feel secure during this turbulent period, so we have created a £30million Coronavirus Fund to financially support you during the outbreak.
“This will include paying staff that need to self-isolate for up to two weeks by maintaining their pay during this period, and to support team members in high risk groups that need to isolate for longer periods.
“If staff do not need to self-isolate between now and December they will be paid two weeks’ extra salary, so they do not miss out.”
In its message to customers, the company said that it would restrict the number of certain items people could buy to ensure stores stayed stocked.
Home Bargains hailed its dedicated staff and added: "Thank you everyone for your support and patience. We will get through this together."
Home Bargains was founded by Tom Morris in Liverpool in 1976 as Home and Bargain. It now has hundreds of shops across the UK and remains in the hands of the Morris family.
