John Lewis Partnership and TK Maxx parent company TJX Europe have pledged their support to the CaRe20 fundraising campaign.
The two businesses have donated £175,000 between them to the cause, just days after the campaign launched.
‘CaRe20 – Caring for Retail during Covid-19’ aims to raise £10m to provide financial, emotional, physical and vocational support to retail workers who may be ineligible for government support during the health emergency.
RWRC – the home of Retail Week and World Retail Congress – has joined forces with retailTRUST and the BRC to offer the lifeline to people on retail’s front line, including contractors and temporary staff, those who have already been left out of work and employees who may need more than just financial help.
John Lewis Partnership has donated £75,000 and TJX, which operates the TK Maxx and HomeSense fascias in the UK, has pledged £100,000.
Support CaRe20 today to help the UK’s retail workers during the Covid-19 pandemic
Retailers can help fund the appeal by contacting Claire Greenwood.
Individuals can donate to the CaRe20 appeal here.
How retailers treat their workers during this pandemic will define their brand for decades to come – join with RWRC, retailTRUST and the BRC to provide much-needed aid and assistance to the industry.
The money raised through CaRe20 will support thousands of people working in retail through a host of initiatives including:
- Financial grants to help with food, essential bills, childcare and other necessities
- Telephone and online counselling to help those with stress and anxiety
- Support with physical exercise and tips
- Online self-help tools and resources through myrtwellbeing.org.uk
- Upskilling and retraining for colleagues facing redundancy or seeking a new role
According to the BRC, 150,000 retail workers have already lost their jobs this year as a result of the pandemic. Many others are being put on unpaid leave or self-isolating themselves or with their families, unable to work.
Although the UK government has committed to financially supporting retained employees who cannot work with an 80% subsidy worth up to £2,500 a month, retailTRUST, RWRC and the BRC believe this will not come close to solving the real problems.
John Lewis Partnership executive director of strategy and commercial development Nina Bhatia said: “The John Lewis Partnership is a proud supporter of retailTRUST. With the unprecedented challenges our industry is now facing, we recognise that demand for the vital services the trust provides is likely to grow exponentially.
“We are pleased to support the capital appeal for retail, helping the most vulnerable in our industry at this time and enabling the trust to continue to be there for the millions of people working in retail across the UK.”
TJX Europe president Louise Greenlees said: “TK Maxx and HomeSense have long partnered with the amazing retailTRUST and used the essential services they provide for our UK employee assistance programme.
“Our thoughts now turn to people around the world who have been affected by the Covid-19 outbreak and so, in this time of unprecedented need, we are very pleased to be able to give additional support to this dedicated fund, CaRe20, which will provide critical help to the most vulnerable across our industry.”
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