With social distancing rules in place, and restrictions on eating out to stop the spread of COVID-19, food retailers have been forced to reinvent their business models to maintain cash flow.

From restaurant kitchens turning into bakeries, to bars home delivering drinks packages, and takeaways turning to food apps, many are stepping up in how they connect with their customers and tap into new demand, boosting their readiness for future trends.

In Australia there are about 60,000 venues affected by measures to prevent people gathering, which include closing food courts, and allowing only takeaway or delivery options for cafes, bars and restaurants. In many cities across the world, venues have shut altogether.

The speed of the outbreak has forced retailers and landlords to think quickly about how to adapt to these new norms, when the sector was already subject to evolutionary pressures including e-commerce, increased urban living and changing shopping and social behaviours.

Necessity leads to invention

Around the world, there are pockets of quick and inspired thinking. With licencing restrictions in Australia relaxed to allow bars to deliver alcohol, Sydney bar Dulcie’s have put together a ‘Quarantini-hour’ pack, including glasses for hire, and a link to the bar’s playlist.

In London, the healthy meal delivery company and deli chain Detox Kitchen is working alongside its produce supplier to create food boxes for consumers with goods usually sold to restaurants, such as vegetables, fruit, eggs and dry ingredients.

“We’re also making sure shopping centre websites and social media accounts are listing all these details and that their profile and reach is being leveraged to support their retailers. It’s not just about writing a ‘we are still open’ post and hoping for the best. There’s a lot of strategy and some really techy stuff that goes into good social media.”

To support retailers and landlord through this period it refers to as ‘business unusual’, Brain and Poulter has created a ‘triage package’ for retailers including best practice guidelines for takeaway and delivery services, as well as cost management advice.