Coca-Cola supports small shopkeepers as govt opens all sectors

ISLAMABAD: As the economy readies itself for reopening of all sectors, Coca-Cola's Open Like Never Before (OLNB) program is ramping up to support small retailers open up with pride and with the right SOPs in place.

By the end of this week, thousands of small neighbourhood shops in 11 cities across the country would have benefited from this program.

Small businesses do not have financial muscle to sustain lull periods and can quickly go into losses, increasing the risk of closure or debt burdens. The OLNB program supplied free of cost product up to a certain value to these small shops that generated the cash flow they may have needed to keep their businesses afloat. Furthermore, all these stores were supplied with large format posters, illustrating mandated safety precautions to be taken in store to reduce disease transmission and reassure the shoppers.

Speaking about this innovative program, Fahad Ashraf, GM Coca-Cola Pakistan stated, "Our OLNB campaign is a great example of how companies can adapt their CSR through fairly simple but high impact actions, to support those most at risk in our value-chain."

The beneficiaries of the OLNB program include corner-stores, food service outlets and even street vendors.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020