Record sales, restive staff: supermarkets battle virus challenge
European shoppers stripped shelves bare as lockdowns loomed.
Now we're starting to know just how big the spending spree was.
New data Tuesday (March 31) shows UK supermarkets were the busiest they've ever been.
Market researcher Nielsen says people there made over 79 million extra grocery shopping trips in the four weeks to March 21.
They spent an extra 1.9 billion pounds on groceries - about 2.4 billion dollars.
Top of the shopping list were items for the so-called 'pandemic pantry' - essentials from toilet paper to pasta.
Figures from around Europe are likely to show something similar.
But now retailers could face a new challenge - holding onto their staff.
Workers at one branch of Carrefour walked out this week over concern they could catch the virus.
French law gives them the right to withdraw if they feel their health is being put at risk.
Europe's biggest retailer now says it's supplying masks to all staff to address concerns.
Austria says it will make it compulsory for shoppers to wear masks to address similar worries there.
But anxiety is spreading through the retail industry.
Recent days have seen protests and walkouts at Amazon depots in France and Italy as staff demand better safety measures.
This week has also seen mounting labour unrest in the U.S., including a walkout at online grocer Instacart.
As the battle against the coronavirus rages, retail workers feel they're on the front lines.
