Auchan did not take long to answer Bruno Le Maire's call. Friday, the Minister of Economy called on companies to pay a tax-free bonus to employees who " had the courage to go to their place of work " despite the coronavirus. It targeted in particular the "vital" sectors of mass distribution and the food industry, where the shortage of employees could jeopardize the supply of the French. As of Sunday, the northern distributor announced that it will pay a bonus of 1,000 euros to all of its employees working in stores, warehouses, drives, home delivery services and on its e-commerce site, or 65,000 people. “ I would like to thank all those who have perfectly fulfilled our mission of feeding the French. (…) This bonus of 1,000 euros is our way of recognizing the quality of their mobilization in the service of customers ”, underlines in a press release Edgard Bonte, the CEO of Auchan.
Employees of large retailers, especially those of Auchan, have been severely tested in the past two weeks, due to an unusual influx. Sunday, March 15, sales of large retailers, for example, increased by 108% over a year, according to Nielsen. Drives (+ 61% last week) and home delivery services (+ 90%) are also taken by storm. This service is all the more difficult to ensure that fewer workers are employed in companies, some of whom are forced to keep their children.