BIRGER. CEO Message regarding Post Covid-19 Crisis Solidarity Plan

The Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) has entered our lives so quickly and unexpectedly that the majority of us may have assumed that this disease would not affect us. The Mauritian Government has acted promptly, so promptly that I personally have been stranded in Madagascar while attending an annual general meeting of our newly acquired subsidiary, Blanche, Birger Madagascar.

The past two weeks have been hectic, whereby we had to work around the clock to put in place our business continuity plan and at the same time providing extra support and services required by our customers during these challenging times. I am pleased to confirm that our Business Continuity Plan has been implemented successfully and our customers’ requests have been attended promptly. Thank you for your extra long working hours in meeting our customers’ expectations.

During this unprecedented crisis, we have to maintain our strategic direction and navigate this challenging situation. As you learned in the news number of industries locally and internationally are facing huge financial challenges, whereby some of them may either make their employees redundant or at worst close their companies. I am pleased to inform you that BIRGER. is not in this financial situation. However, I am very concerned of the financial impacts of Covid-19 at the local, regional and global levels, since we do not know for how long we shall be in a lockdown situation in Mauritius and in the regional countries we are present. Secondly we do not know what will be the real economic impacts of Covid-19 on Mauritius and our region.

We have to act in a responsible manner to safeguard the health, safety and employment of all our employees as well as ensure the continuity of our activities in the long term. With these two objectives in mind, I shall discuss with the executive team early next week with the view to define a post Covid-19 Crisis Solidarity Plan which will revisit certain current working practices assuming that the national lockdown is either maintained into the month of April or will be extended beyond that date. Secondly, we shall have to consider flexible and solidarity measures from all of us once work is resumed after the national lockdown.

Without losing our strategic direction, bearing in mind the above two objectives and assuming different scenarios of how long we shall be in a national lockdown in Mauritius and in the regional countries we are present, the executive team and I will revert back to you through your heads of Business Units regarding the proposed new flexible and solidarity measures post Covid-19 crisis for us to adopt once we resume work.

I take this opportunity to thank you all for your support during this unprecedented crisis. Please stay safe you and your families.

JACQUES HAREL
Chief Executive Officer
BIRGER