On May 17, Apple detailed its retail store response to COVID-19 in an open letter written by SVP of Retail + People Deirdre O’Brien. The letter spoke of a commitment to care for store teams, customers, and communities. Apple has been recognized as an early leader in its actions to create a safe store environment. How does its response compare to other top retailers?
The COVID-19 pandemic has thrust the priorities of every brand into the spotlight. Crisis leveled the playing field for retailers large and small, and empathy became the competitive advantage. Decisions that had to be made in hours will have an impact for years. Although most stores have come to agree on a basic set of best practices, each retailer’s closing and reopening strategy has varied widely in terms of attention to detail, employee treatment, and public communication.
Let’s first briefly recap Apple’s response so far:
After successfully navigating store closures and subsequent reopenings in Greater China, where the virus first spread, Apple closed the rest of its retail store fleet in a letter on the evening of March 13. All stores outside of Greater China remained closed until April 18, when a single location in South Korea reopened. On May 11, Idaho became the first US state to see an Apple Store reopen.
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