At Levi Strauss & Co., we’ve been committed to the wellbeing of our employees and communities for 167 years. That commitment has been at the heart of our response to the COVID-19 crisis and it will be central to how we move forward as a business in the coming weeks and months. With that in mind, we are pleased to announce that we are starting to reopen our retail stores in the U.S. in accordance with applicable public health guidelines.
To start, we plan to reopen a handful of our Levi’s® stores later this week, and we have already started to offer curbside pickup at almost 100 locations. As we continue to open more of our stores across the country in the following weeks and months, we are being measured and thoughtful in our approach. We are eager to welcome our fans back to stores, to connect with them and help them find their favorite fits as well as exciting new product collaborations.
We are operating with our employees’ safety and health as our number one priority. Therefore, we are instituting important operational changes in our retail stores so employees and fans can work and shop more safely:
- We have introduced deep cleaning practices for our sales floors, fitting rooms, cash wraps and back offices.
- We are providing all store employees with safety supplies such as face coverings and gloves.
- We are providing symptom screenings for all employees prior to them returning to work.
- We have installed sneeze guards at our checkout point of sales and we are encouraging touchless payment methods.
- We will limit consumer capacity in stores and fitting rooms to allow for social distancing, with helpful signage throughout stores to guide consumers.
- Products that have been tried on or returned will be quarantined before being made available for further consumer or employee contact.
Introducing Paid Sick Leave for all part-time retail employees
The reopening of our stores is only possible because of our extraordinary retail employees across the country. That’s why we are making investments to protect our stylists and build a more resilient team for the future. I am proud to share that we are extending our paid sick leave policy to all U.S. part-time hourly retail employees — a benefit that will continue even after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides. The extended policy allows part-time retail employees to take paid time off when they or a family member are sick so that they don’t need to choose between taking care of their health and a paycheck. As we bring these employees back to work, we want to be sure that they have the benefits they need to keep themselves, their families, their fellow workers, and our consumers safe and healthy.
This new policy will further strengthen our employee benefits at a time when it is more important than ever for companies to put their people first. We see it not just as a response to the crisis but as an investment in the future — part of our long-term approach to business that sees profits and principles going hand-in-hand. We hope other companies join us in extending paid sick leave to more workers — it’s the right thing to do for employees and it’s the smart thing to do for businesses.
These are just some of the measures we are taking to protect our people and our communities, and we will continue to closely monitor and update our policies as circumstances evolve.
Here for our fans, in store and online
We know a lot has changed in the world around us, but we also hear the longing that many folks have to get back to some semblance of normal, and we’re trying our best to be there for our loyal fans who are ready to refresh their closets or replace a beloved item. So online, in store and at our wholesale partners, we are offering everything from our classic icons – 501® jeans and Levi’s® Trucker jackets to new items for Spring and Summer (see the newest collection with Hailey Bieber and Jaden Smith). With all the closet cleaning underway, we’re hearing that folks want fewer, better items that will last a lifetime and that’s what the Levi’s® brand has always delivered.
For those who prefer to shop online, we are continuing to invest in connecting with our fans with new experiences on levi.com, exclusive content and product drops through our Levi’s app and loyalty program, and with campaigns like 5:01 Live – our virtual concert series on Instagram Live that is bringing music into people’s homes every weekday.
We are doing all that we can to emerge from this crisis as a stronger business and a stronger employer — which all comes down to taking care of our people, our fans, and the communities we serve across the country.
