Clipper Logistics now in coronavirus firing line over safety measures

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Mar 31, 2020

Logistics giant Clipper Logistics is the latest company to come in for heavy criticism as it seeks to continue its business in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

The company works for a number of big names including Very, M&S, PrettyLittleThing and River Island and won a new contract with Joules just two months ago. Now it’s being accused of not putting strong enough social distancing measures in place. 

The BBC quoted “several workers” at its hub in Ollerton, Nottinghamshire, saying warehouse staff were “crammed into corridors” and given no hand sanitiser.

Some workers said they’ve walked out and that their jobs should be classed as “non-essential”.

Others also expressed concerns about hundreds of people having to sign in using the same fingerprint scanner. 

A spokeswoman for Clipper said the situation is “evolving on a daily basis” and it was “continuing to monitor and adhere to all government advice”.

The hub is particularly busy processing returns as customers are unable to return items to stores. While many retailers have extended the period during which shoppers can return their purchases, plenty of them will want to get them sent back as soon as they can in order to access refunds.

The criticism of Clipper follows similar complaints around a number of big names, including Asos and Boohoo. Concerns expressed around the ability to maintain social distancing for warehouse staff have also seen major retailers including Net-A-Porter, Next and River Island temporarily suspending their online operations.