People & Community

Covid-19 Response

The Covid-19 Response Team was established using our crisis management framework, as a monitoring body involving key individuals from across the business. The Team’s objective is to ensure that C&R is best placed to react and respond appropriately to the pandemic, ensuring the welfare and safety of all our employees, guests and retailer customers and occupiers. Non-Executive Director Laura Whyte also joined the Team, providing a direct reporting line to the Board. 

The Response Team is able to quickly respond and adapt to an ever-changing trading environment and advise the  business on the following key areas:

 

  • Implementation of the latest Government advice and regulations
  • Supporting the welfare of our teams and working environments, including homeworking
  • Travel advice to our teams
  • Supporting the continuation of essential services in the communities
  • Implementation of the Communication Plan, internally and externally

 

Our overriding priority is the health, safety and protection of our colleagues, guests and customers by rigorously following the latest official Government guidelines and advice across our portfolio. Precautionary measures we have taken include:

  • Enhanced deep cleaning, sanitising stations at key locations and PPE for all centre employees;
  • Arrows and signage in common areas to encourage directional flow and a one-way system, as well as providing distancing reminders;
  • Limiting the number of people on escalators, stairs and in lifts and guest facilities at any one time; and
  • Removal of most public seating to discourage congregation and close contact.

 

We continue to carefully control visitor capacity to maintain social distancing and to protect guests, customers, and our colleagues, while restricting access when necessary. We have provided additional assistance to our retailer customers to support them in complying with covid-secure requirements and have promoted store openings, hours of trading, and the best times to visit through our social media channels. Our centre teams have assisted in the management of queues for busy retailers and engaged with the local police and PCSOs to work together on the enforcement of face coverings, and other covid measures.

 

Keeping our customers safe

All of our centres produced video content, shared on websites and social media, keeping guests up to date on current safety guidelines and restrictions. 

       

 

Impact of Covid-19 on working practices

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the working practices of all our colleagues, whether they are based at our Support Office or at one of our centres. Following Government guidance, all Support Office and, where possible, centre-based team members transitioned to remote working in March 2020. 

 

Following the reintroduction of Government guidance to work from home wherever possible, our Support Office staff have returned to working from home and continue to do so and we have put measures in place to protect and support our centre-based teams who were unable to do so. We have continued to support our colleagues throughout the pandemic, ensuring that they have the appropriate equipment and software to be able to work effectively from home.

In August, we successfully enabled our Support Office staff to return to the office through the reconfiguration of our office space and the introduction of alternating work patterns and specific procedures to comply with covid-secure requirements. The measures were well received by staff and the majority of our workforce had returned to the office by September. 

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Environmental Sustainability

We work hard to ensure that the local communities and wider catchment areas that we serve are better places to be for all. 

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People & Community

Being a responsible business cannot be achieved without the support and active engagement of our colleagues.

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Governance

Our robust corporate  governance approach spans structure, organisational transparency, codes of conduct, risk, supply chain management, policy and impact measurement. 

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