It’s been almost a month since several countries have entered lockdown, and out of the doom and gloom that has been dominating the headlines, we’ve seen some incredible stories of solidarity and community spirit.
At Klarna we have a fantastic global community of retailers and we want to end the week on a high, celebrating those who are changing their business, pulling together and generally just making life that little bit easier.
To celebrate them, their kindness and creativity here are some of our favourite stories…
Repurposing supply chains.
The North Face
While it might be tricky to explore the outside world during these times, Klarna’s most recent US partner The North Face has provided $1 million to support the outdoor communities all over the world to make exploration possible and provided critical support for healthcare professionals in the company’s own backyard of Colorado, by donating 60,000 gloves for those working on the front line.
Toms
Our friends at TOMS also made a massive commitment to provide some support during these difficult times. Recently announced that they will donate a third of their net profits as part of their COVID-19 Global Giving Fund, to combat the negative effects of the virus through mental health support, handwashing, and medical supplies.
H&M
H&M is famous for making great design available for everyone. Now they’ve put their efforts into producing 100,000 face masks, with the first batch already shipped to Spain and Italy, some of the countries most hit by the recent Coronavirus outbreak. These masks will provide protective equipment for health care staff and hospitals in several countries and communities and the company is also looking to produce other products, such as overalls, face screens and gloves.
Nike
Just do it is their motto, and that’s exactly what they did! Not only have our friends at Nike donated an incredible $15 million to charities helping the Covid-19 response efforts, they’ve also redeployed production from footwear to facemasks. Nike’s full-face shield will deliver much needed personal protective equipment to those on the front line. Starting in Boston, USA, the company have said they plan to roll out other initiatives to support the communities in cities where Nike employees live and work, so watch this space.
Staying fit.
Fitness coaches like Chris Hemsworth or Joe Wicks might be keeping our families fit and healthy with workouts but how can you keep fit whilst still sticking to the one hour a day out of the house exercise allowance.
Gymshark
One of the best things about lockdown is the ability to wear athleisure all the time (yes, we know you are wearing leggings and tracksuits to work)!
Our friends at Gymshark have decided to ensure that you won’t just be sat at work in their clothing, you will also be breaking a sweat working out. For the foreseeable future, the Gymshark app has free at-home workouts (which normally require a monthly subscription fee). So now you can do a HIIT class, a full body workout or maybe some weight training (with water bottles if you don’t have weights) all from the comfort of your living room.
Peloton
If you don’t have space or haven’t managed to get hold of one of Peloton’s award winning exercise bikes, fear not, the brand behind the exercise revolution and cult workout classes has other ways to help you keep fit.
Download the Peloton app and you can have a 90 day free trial and stay healthy from the comfort of your own home. All the classes (with their renowned instructors) can be streamed and feature a mixture of formats from cycling, running, strength through to yoga. There are thousands of classes available on-demand, whenever you want!
Staying social.
Are you bored in the house, bored in the house, bored?! One of the hardest things for many is staying social and entertained during these difficult times. If you’ve done too many Tik-Tok videos, are sick of Zoom and feel like you’ve completed Netflix (don’t get us started on Tiger King) – we might have some entertainment for you.
River Island
Our friends at River Island are now back open for business (online), but whilst you weren’t able to shop with River Island that didn’t mean you couldn’t still have fun with them. Follow their Instagram for daily entertainment either through Emoji Pictionary (we can’t get enough) or a house party with DJ sets with some of the best tunes to get you through.
JD Sports
Trust our British friends at JD Sports to get us behind the scenes with some of the biggest athletes on the planet. They’ve launched their #InTheZone series streaming interviews live on Friday nights. Sad that the most sports are on pause – don’t fret, last week they covered soccer and this week we are entering the world of MMA! Each week the team take a look at a different sport and with a host like Josh Denzel, and guests like Antony Joshua, what’s not to love!