Supermarket Forfeits Profit From Hand Sanitizers

Eastmatt supermarket today announced it will be joining the fight against the Coronavirus by selling sanitizers at factory prices. The retailer will forgo its profit margins in that category for one week. The brand aims to encourage Kenyans to heed the call for proper sanitization.

The family-owned supermarket will run the campaign for seven days starting 3rd April to 10th April. Speaking during the announcement, the Eastmatt Managing Director Mr Joseph Kamau said the fight against Covid-19 cannot depend on the big corporates alone.

“Everyone in the society has to take an active stand,” Mr Kamau said. While the pandemic has had a profound negative impact on businesses as a whole, we can still make an impact in whichever way we can. We have therefore come to the decision that we will, for one week, sell sanitizers at the price we buy them from the manufacturers.”

Eastmatt, he said, will be stocking about 40,000 pieces of assorted sanitizer brands across its 8 branches to reach as many people as possible.

Coronavirus has transversed borders and has had a worldwide impact. Many countries have imposed strict measures, including lockdowns, to curb its spread. One of the ways is through proper sanitization. There have been countrywide and indeed worldwide campaigns on the importance of proper washing and sanitizing of hands and surfaces.  

When the news of the corona outbreak in the country first hit, millions of Kenyans ran to the supermarket to stock up on sanitizers and tissue paper. Within a short time, supermarket shelves had run dry, leading to concern amongst the masses.

“During this period, we will only permit 2 sanitizers per customer. We encourage those who buy the sanitizers to remember to be their brother’s keepers, by only buying what they currently need. Curbing the spread of the virus will only work if we are mindful of other people. Most importantly, we need to pass on the message that we can beat the pandemic by being watchful of our practices’ said Mr Kamau. 

Corona cases worldwide currently standard approximately 940,000 people. The number of deaths are at slightly above 47,000. At the time of writing this report, in Kenya, there 110 confirmed cases, with the ministry of health confirming that they could be more undetected or unreported cases.  

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