“Small businesses” suffer most as a result of restrictions introduced by you around the world in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the results of the EFL Barometer [1] for Q1 2020, 9 out of 10 Polish companies believe that the pandemic will hurt their business. The owners of micro firms are the most pessimistic, 71% think Covid-19 is a very high threat to their business. Data confirms that sentiment – at the end of March, 50,000 companies applied for suspension of business activity, i.e. about twice as much as in previous months. The service, trade and tourism sectors have suffered the most [2].
Not surprisingly, the emergence of spontaneous bottom-up actions supporting local stores and businesses on the wave of ‘flourishing civil society’. Suffice it to mention the spectacular success of saving the Warsaw gardening shop “U Jadzi”, which started with one post on Facebook, which was reported by media throughout the country.
Source:
[1] https://strefabiznesu.pl/im-wieksza-firma-tym-mniejsze-w-niej-obawy-o-skutki-koronawirusa-dla-biznesu-najbardziej-bezbronne-sa-mikrofirmy/ar/c3-14903687
[2] https://www.wnp.pl/finanse/pie-najbardziej-pandemia-uderzyla-w-uslugi-i-mikrofirmy,385908.html
The media have also joined
Radio Kolor has launched the action #SupportSmallBusiness and offers local companies free on-air ads [3]. The giants of the digital industry Facebook and Google offer similar solutions (advertising vouchers to be used on the platforms), as well as AmEx, which in the US helps to launch advertisement campaign as part of the Shop Small program. Another form of CSR activities related to helping small businesses are grants offered by brands (Visa, Amazon, Facebook) [5] or free collection of unused products (in the case of Grupa Żywiec unopened beer kegs from pubs and restaurants) [6].
Supporting “small businesses” is nothing new in CSR activities of various companies (Orange, the Small Business Saturday action initiated by AmEx). Still, in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, it can become an idea for socially responsible activities for many different industries (e.g. financial, food, cosmetics).
Source:
[3] https://radiokolor.pl/onoffair/on/218/wspierammalybiznes-z-radiem-kolor?fbclid=IwAR1sGdOgRnzHEhnfJoHz9_0p-2_yXlpskA0tcKug8U1HuZYXl7XjFDSKZg0
[4] https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/shop-small/
[5]https://www.facebook.com/business/boost/grants; https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/10/amazon-creates-5m-relief-fund-to-aid-small-businesses-in-seattle-impacted-by-coronavirus-outbreak/; https://usa.visa.com/about-visa/newsroom/press-releases.releaseId.17066.html
[6] https://www.portalspozywczy.pl/alkohole-uzywki/wiadomosci/grupa-zywiec-wspiera-puby-restauracje-i-bary-ktore-serwowaly-piwo,183048.html
