UPDATED with Cllr Georgiou's reply - Asda responds to complaints that their Wembley store is not Covid safe

 

Cllr Anton Georgiou has received a response to his complaint that its Wembley store is not safe in terms of enforcing Covid safety measures such as mask wearing and social distancing. Cllr Georgiou said that the store was putting its customer and staff at significant risk. LINK

I leave readers to decide whether the answer is satisfactory and will publish any reply that Cllr Georgiou passes on to Wembley Matters,

 

Hello Councillor Georgiou

 

Thank you for speaking with me on New Years Eve, I hope you were able to celebrate the new year safely.

 

Since the start of the crisis, our highest priority has been keeping our customers and colleagues as safe as possible in line with the latest Government guidance.

 

All colleagues were encouraged to wear face coverings when in our stores and were provided with masks. With the new update all colleagues will be wearing a face covering, who are able to do so. 

 

We have also implemented Marshals at the entry to our stores to offer face masks for customers to use if they have forgotten theirs and they are also monitoring the volume of customers entering our stores to ensure the volume of customers entering the store is not near the maximum total.

 

By asking colleagues to confront members of the public who are not wearing a face covering, it can lead to situations where they are subject to verbal and physical abuse. We have a responsibility to protect the welfare of our colleagues, so encourage them to intervene only when they feel it is safe to do so.

 

I should emphasise we are continuing to maintain our other social distancing measures, including limiting the number of customers in store (well below the usual occupancy level) and having regular reminders on the need to maintain distance. This is done via extensive signage and colleagues wearing t-shirts emphasising the need to distance. There is also hand sanitiser and disinfectant available to all customers. Our social distancing measures are monitored by store leadership and our regional compliance teams. If government guidance changes, we are able to adapt quickly to it.

 

We have put in place increased cleaning protocols, further reduced the customer limits and have supported our vulnerable colleagues by moving them to roles in the store with less customer contact.

 

I have also raised yours and your constituents concerns to the General Store Manager to ensure customers are abiding to the guidelines, whilst in our stores and any abusive behaviour from customers will not be tolerated.

 

If there is anything in the future I can assist with, please feel free to contact me directly. 

 

Many Thanks and Stay Safe

 

Elliott

 

Asda Executive Relations

 

Today (January 7th), Cllr Georgiou replied:

Whilst I am pleased to read about the safety measures that are supposedly in place at present, I am unconvinced these are being strictly followed in the Wembley store, hence my initial complaint to you. Following my report and posting on social media about the experience I had in the store, several Brent residents have responded to outline similar concerns and worries. The latest being yesterday.

 

In our phone call, I requested that you outline what specific changes Asda will be making to guarantee safety for customers and staff at the Wembley store. Could you please let me know what changes you plan to make, as I fear that the current strategy simply is not working.

 

I look forward to hearing from you. Keep safe.

 

Anton

 

Cllr Anton Georgiou

Liberal Democrat Councillor, Alperton