New Retail Layoffs & Furloughs

Away furloughing about half its employees

Levi's announces reduction in payroll costs through employee furloughs and pay cuts

Party City announces furloughs for 90% of store employees, 70% of wholesale, manufacturing & corporate employees

PVH says 75% of store, office & warehouse employees will be furloughed or have reduced hours

Rent-A-Center temporarily furloughs retail employees & corporate staff

TJX to furlough most of its 286,000 employees
 

29 security officers have died from COVID-19; over 350 have tested positive
Private Officer International has closely monitored the illnesses and the deaths of private security personnel infected by COVID-19. Security officers have been on the front line during this pandemic and many have become ill and sadly, many have died.

As of Monday, April 7, 2020, 29 security officers have died from COVID-19 and considered to be "line of duty deaths." We have also tracked more than 350 security officers who have tested positive for the virus. The hotspots have been New York City, Michigan, California and Florida.

Those deceased worked as school security officers, retail security, hospital security, nightclub security officer and a TSA K-9 security officer. privateofficer.com

Retailers making their own safety rules as the federal government stands aside
America's grocery stores, retail chains and warehouses staying open during the coronavirus crisis can't seem to agree on how exactly to keep their millions of workers safe at the height of a pandemic.

Walmart (WMT) and Amazon (AMZN) announced last week that they plan to start taking employees' temperatures before they come into work and provide masks and gloves if workers want to wear them.

Target (TGT) said it will provide workers with masks and gloves and will "strongly encourage that they be worn while working." But it's not taking workers' temperatures.

Home Depot (HD) will give thermometers to workers and ask them to check their own temperatures before showing up, but it's not providing workers with masks. Lowe's (LOW), its top rival, is doing the opposite: The hardware chain will give masks to workers who want them, but it's not offering them thermometers or taking their temperatures before they come in.

Meanwhile, Dollar General (DG), Dollar Tree (DLTR) and CVS (CVS) have not announced new measures on personal protective equipment for employees or taking workers' temperatures before they show up.

The National Retail Federation, which represents the industry, defended its members, saying they're following government guidance guidance and recommendations. "Health and safety are priority number one for retailers during this crisis," a spokesperson for the group said.

But the federal government lacks uniform directions for all retailers and grocery stores to protect workers during the pandemic. In the absence of enforceable federal standards, retailers have created a patchwork system as the outbreak worsens and workers' fears of contracting the virus on the job intensify.

This has hamstrung worker protection efforts, public health experts and union leaders say. Retailers are not health care experts and the mix of policies are a safety risk for shoppers because these stores are one of the few public spaces still open. Millions of Americans are still visiting them every day and coming into close contact with workers who may be exposed to the virus. cnn.com

Albertsons, UFCW seek ‘first responder’ status for grocery workers
Albertsons Cos. has partnered with the United Food and Commercial Workers International (UFCW) union in a national drive to get grocery workers classified as emergency first responders during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Under the effort, Albertsons and UFCW said Tuesday they aim to obtain a temporary designation of “extended first responders” or “emergency personnel” for supermarket associates. That classification will enable those grocery workers to be prioritized for testing and personal protection equipment as the country continues to battle the spread of COVID-19. supermarketnews.com

COVID-19 and the Guarding Industry
While security guard service is being reduced in various areas and verticals, in other places security services are being viewed as more vital than before. Redeployment seems to be the norm among the service companies interviewed, and the crisis is impacting the industry in ways that could not have been foreseen as recently as a few weeks ago.

Retail stores, malls and commercial buildings will continue to need someone around the clock, "but they may not need a contingent of 10, or whatever it is," says Ashley Cooper, CEO of Paladin Security Group. "They may only need a couple of security officers."

Protecting Officers
The first order of the day for all security companies has been making sure their workers remain safe, particularly, but not exclusively, those who are serving the healthcare sector. Paladin also has been instructing guards about workstation cleanliness and, in many circumstances, providing officers with personal protective equipment (PPE) along with instructions on how to use it. "With all of our officers, we have been very explicit in our instructions about cleanliness, hand sanitizer, washing hands, and social distance and space in dealing with people," he says.

Shifting Operations
Companies are in general reporting increased demand at healthcare, grocers and for some hotel properties, and decreased demand at some retailers, and for educational, government, aviation, office building and special event verticals.

Business Continuity
Securitas has put into place a Business Continuity Planning system to ensure client service and officer support remains uninterrupted, with work from home and remote workplace options for core operational teams to ensure that they meet social distancing guidelines, along with employee separation plans for co-located management and support departments. To ensure continuity of supply chain so that officers remain safe and properly supported, Securitas is working closely with key suppliers of technology, uniforms and operational supplies. securitymagazine.com

JCPenney, Sears, Nieman Marcus and JCrew could collapse
from the coronavirus recession
They were once the giants of American retail, strong enough to survive wars, the Great Depression, the Great Recession and the rise of online shopping. But Sears, JCPenney and others may not be able to survive the coronavirus crisis.

"The retailers who were wandering around aimlessly pre-pandemic are going to be substantially less likely to muddle through than they were before," said Mark Cohen, director of retail studies at the Columbia Business School.

With a record number of Americans filing for jobless benefits, unemployment is likely to be elevated for months if not years to come, further cutting into Americans' appetite and ability to shop. Sears filed for bankruptcy in 2018 and its future has been in doubt ever since.

JCPenney, Neiman Marcus and J. Crew are burdened by crushing debt loads. They're also at risk from declining market share, too many stores, limited online sales and a focus on selling discretionary items, analysts say. cnn.com

'Retail bankruptcies are coming'
Coronavirus Has Shut Stores, and Retailers Are Running Out of Time
Neiman Marcus Group Inc. and J.C. Penney Co., both of which have looming debt payments, have been reaching out to creditors in the hopes of buying more time, according to people familiar with the situation. Representatives for Neiman Marcus and Penney declined to comment.

"A lot of debt will have to be refinanced across these companies," said Oliver Chen, an analyst with Cowen Inc., speaking about retailers in general. "They are all working to renegotiate loan terms."

"Companies we weren't that concerned about a month ago, we are now concerned about," said Mickey Chadha, a senior analyst with Moody's Investors Service. Mr. Chadha estimated that operating income for department stores, which have been losing market share to fast-fashion retailers and discounters, will fall 20% this year. He predicted operating profit for the retail sector overall will fall by 2% to 5%, a drop not seen since the 2008 financial crisis.

Moody's and Fitch Ratings Inc. recently downgraded the debt of major retailers, including Macy's Inc. and Gap Inc., to junk status, which could make it more difficult for them to refinance loans or tap into a government rescue package. wsj.com

Struggling retail chains can't count on stimulus help
Tens of thousands of stores have closed. Nearly a million retail workers have been furloughed. Yet one of the most difficult questions facing economic policymakers is whether to aid the nation's struggling retailers, a group that was declining before the novel coronavirus pandemic and is now one of the hardest hit by it.

The $2 trillion stimulus legislation authorized by Congress last month contains hundreds of billions for businesses to save jobs and restart the economy. The Federal Reserve has made available billions of dollars of loans for struggling companies, too.

But without further action by officials, little of that money will flow to retail companies such as Macy's, Gap or J.C. Penney. The reason: After years of losing ground to online competition and diminished mall traffic, some retailers might not be able to repay the government.

Their fragility, in other words, is what could disqualify them from the rescue. washingtonpost.com

To pay or not to pay: Retailers are making tough decisions on rent and other bills

The opening salvos have been fired in a "showdown" between tenants and landlords as retailers try to preserve cash amid mass closures.  retaildive.com

After Virus Fades, Service Industries May Be Changed Forever
The pandemic is almost sure to leave a mark on the way people work, shop and socialize, perhaps permanently shifting the way many service industries operate. Consumers will think harder about the health implications of squeezing into crowded restaurants and movie theaters. More businesses will accept the effectiveness of employees who work from home, and the move to online shopping will accelerate.

The virus has been a gut punch to businesses that depend on social gatherings - restaurants, cinemas, theaters, hotels, airlines, gyms, shopping centers. More than 250,000 stores are now temporarily closed, accounting for nearly 60% of retail square footage, according to Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, a research firm.

Cooped up in their homes, Americans have discovered anew the convenience of shopping online - something that is likely to accelerate the decline of traditional retail stores, said Diane Swonk, chief economist at the accounting and consulting firm Grant Thornton. nytimes.com

U.S. Department of Labor Reminds Employers That They Cannot Retaliate Against Workers Reporting Unsafe Conditions During Coronavirus Pandemic
The U.S Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is reminding employers that it is illegal to retaliate against workers because they report unsafe and unhealthful working conditions during the coronavirus pandemic. Acts of retaliation can include terminations, demotions, denials of overtime or promotion, or reductions in pay or hours.

"Employees have the right to safe and healthy workplaces," said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Loren Sweatt. "Any worker who believes that their employer is retaliating against them for reporting unsafe working conditions should contact OSHA immediately." govdelivery.com

Target's Delivery Workers Are Staging a Walkout
Gig workers on Target's delivery platform, Shipt, are organizing a walkout on Tuesday to protest the lack of safeguards in place to protect them during the coronavirus pandemic - the first worker-organized action against the gig economy giant. vice.com

New York Region Governors Plan Coordinated Economic Restart
Should Retailers Do the Same?
The governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut will take a regional approach to reopening the economy when it is safe to do so, mirroring the coordinated shutdown they undertook to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

Even as the states each announced record death counts, with more than 1,000 people dying across the region over the past 24 hours, the leaders said it was time to start planning the best way to rollback their lockdown orders in the coming months.

"You’re not going to end the infection, end the virus, before you start restarting life. I don’t think we have that luxury," Cuomo said. "This is not a light switch that you just can flick one day and go back to normal. We’re looking to restart the economy, we’re going to have to restart a lot of systems that we shut down abruptly and we need to start a plan for that." politico.com

Mall owners worried over mortgage payments as retailers skip rent

Staples refuses to pay landlords for April rents

Trump administration may recommend asymptomatic people go back to work

Cuomo says NY is 'flattening the curve' even as state records 779 deaths in a day

Bronx judge orders 3 inmates released due to coronavirus

Army & Air Force Exchange Service Procures Face Masks For Store, Distribution Center Associates

Pier 1 Considers Bid That Would Close Over 800 Stores

Some Mattress Firm stores remain open

Rite Aid To Pay $4.75 Million to Resolve Allegations That It Violated Federal Law in the Sale of Pseudoephedrine Tablets, Which Can Be Used in the Manufacture of Methamphetamine

March Networks Introduces AI-Enabled ME6 Series IP Cameras for Accurate Detection of Security Incidents

Publishing Note: We will not be publishing LP Newswire Thursday and The Daily Friday this week due to the Easter holiday weekend. Thanks for reading and stay safe out there!

San Francisco, CA: Walgreens Manager Helplessly Films Four Women Looting

It's becoming a looting pandemic

Looting at San Francisco pharmacies is a daily occurrence, according to a local manager. Senior staff at a Walgreens claim they are under siege from brazen thieves -- and there is nothing they can do about it. One supervisor told TooFab that the shoplifting happens every day, and it has gotten worse during the coronavirus outbreak. "It's becoming a looting pandemic," said the staff member, who asked to remain anonymous. "If we touch them, we get fired. We had a security guard but they can't do anything, either." The manager filmed one such incident on her phone, watching helplessly as four giggling women stuffed bags full of items from the shelves, before jogging out the door, ignoring the alarms going off. "Calling police is totally useless," she added. "They will yell at you for wasting their time since it's not a violent crime. We don't even bother calling the police." "I'm so sick of our politicians. I try to report to local news channels but that is as useless as reporting to the police." toofab.com
 

East Greenbush, NY: Suspect told Walmart Loss Prevention she had coronavirus A woman is accused threatening others by saying they had coronavirus. East Greenbush Police say Latoya Fordham tried to steal $3,000 worth of merchandise from Walmart last Friday. Police say when store security confronted Fordham, she spit on the security officer and told him that she had coronavirus. Security locked themselves inside their office and police say Fordam tried to kick open the door. Fordham was charged with making a terroristic threat, falsely reporting an incident, burglary, petit larceny, and harassment. cbs6albany.com