An Australian based technology platform is transforming contact tracing in high-risk industries with the ability for a workplace to run a contact trace within seconds, before the Department of Health and Human Services initiate an investigation on a suspected or positive COVID-19 case.
Australian industrial and logistics property is currently the most sought-after asset class among a large share of private investors and mini industrial warehouses are providing a new opportunity to acquire multi-level industrial developments.
Australian industrial and logistics property is currently the most sought after property asset class, over $3.5 billion has traded within the sector this year, underpinned by favourable structural tailwinds which continue to positively impact the division.
In a preventive measure to maintain stock levels across their warehouses, Coles and Woolworths have reinstated product buying limits due to a sudden demand for grocery items over the past 24 hours in certain parts of Melbourne.
Dematic has announced it has been awarded an automation project for two temperature-controlled warehouses with Americold, to improve efficiency for a major grocery retailer in the US. Read more
A $115 million logistics property has been secured in Western Sydney for a national workspace solutions supplier, growing Charter Hall’s $1.3 billion pre-leased development pipeline. Read more
Fashion chain Gap Inc is speeding up its rollout of picking robots across its warehouses to fulfil online orders in a bid to ramp up productivity with less human contact.
Demand for online grocery has reached unprecedented heights due to COVID-19 as people everywhere adhere to social distancing directives, with online grocery site visits up 146 per cent from just February to March 2020. Read more
New research affecting warehouses, logistics and supply chain from prominent e-commerce businesses and retailers such as The Iconic, Catch.com.au, Nike and Priceline has been released. Read more
Coles will give its warehouse and retail employees a special one-off ‘Thank You Bonus’ for working through the ‘intense’ early weeks of the pandemic.
In a memo to Coles staff, chief executive officer Steven Cain said he was “incredibly proud” of the staff who kept the stores open and running when customers were panic buying stock and shelves were left bare.
“For eight weeks in March and April, we experienced an unprecedented level of demand and the pressure on our stores, sites, distribution centres and facilities were intense,” Steven said.
“But thanks to your efforts, we were able to move record volumes of stock onto our shelves so Australians could get the food, drinks, and groceries they needed.”
The bonus will apply to employees working in supermarkets, petrol stations and warehouses.
The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) said on a social media post that the union welcomes the announcement as an “important first step to recognise the efforts of Coles workers during this time”.
“Thank you to every SDA member who supported our push for this payment for essential workers,” the union stated.
SDA, the retail-focused union said last week that workers will get incentives ranging from $100 to $750 for their work during the coronavirus outbreak.
Coles’ move follows Woolworths’ announcement earlier this month that it would financially reward its workers with a bonus payment for their service over the least two months
Woolworths said it is giving staff an additional $5 an hour, paid out once, for work during the first 10 weeks of the pandemic.
In April, Costco Australia also rewarded 4,000 employees with a $750 bonus on top of the company’s temporary wage increase of $3.