The boss of Tesco has said the supermarket is in “no rush” to get rid of social distancing measures in stores.
His comments come despite lockdown restrictions starting to ease around the country, with non-essential shops and hairdressers reopening this week.
But Tesco CEO Ken Murphy said the supermarket will keep social distancing measures in place to keep customers safe during the coronavirus pandemic.
The government has not recommended that businesses stop asking customers to social distance.
Mr Murphy told The Grocer: “We believe that customer safety and colleague safety is absolutely the first priority.
“So, we are in no rush to get rid of any measures that we think help people stay safe.
“We have no idea how long this pandemic will be with us and how it may change or develop over time.”
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Mr Murphy predicts Tesco will face an extra £200million in costs to keep customers and staff safe, on top of the £900million it has already spent.
Extra spending includes PPE, the closure of cafes, safety screens and employing 50,000 more staff to cope with increased demand.
Tesco is also voluntarily repaying £585million in business rates relief, which was provided by the government during the pandemic to support companies.
Meanwhile, the supermarket confirmed its pre-tax profits tumbled by almost 20% to £825 million over the past year, despite “exceptional” sales.
This is compared to £1.03billion the previous year.
