RedMart temporarily suspends new orders amid Covid-19 demand surge

ONLINE grocery platform RedMart has suspended new orders up till Saturday in light of a "surge in orders" amid the Covid-19 outbreak, the company told its customers in a letter on Thursday.

"To help us ensure that delivery slots remain available and consumers can receive their essentials in a timely manner, RedMart will be making some changes to our product assortment and we will be updating our system," the company, which is owned by e-commerce site Lazada, said in its letter. Upcoming deliveries will still be fulfilled.

In addition to the suspension, RedMart will be temporarily reducing its range of products, to instead prioritise daily essentials, such as rice, flour and eggs. Delivery slots will also be assigned based on location and be temporarily limited to specific days and times for each address.

Furthermore, orders will be limited to a maximum of 35 items and cannot exceed 100 kilogrammes. Items also cannot be added to orders once they are placed. Deliveries will be left at customers' doorsteps to minimise physical contact.

"We are monitoring the situation closely and will take additional measures if necessary," RedMart added in its letter.