Businesses and brands must step up or expect to be brought down

During this crisis, the public will notice which organisations are giving rather than taking – and they are not likely to forget in a hurry, says Chris Blackhurst

The crisis has brought the conduct of supermarkets to the fore (PA)

Cometh the hour, cometh the brand. This extraordinary, troubled, worrying time has already made certain practices a necessity for business: to stay close to your employees, to your suppliers, customers and other stakeholders; to put the welfare of the former first, and then to reassure the latter; to engage with the wider community and to show who you are, what you stand for, and how you can help.

That sounds very lofty. Easy to say but not so easy to put into practice – not when you’re anxious about your own health and that of your family, let alone the future of the business. Organisations, though, that are seen to give, not to take, in a period such as this – that are recognised as having done something extra – will be credited. The public, the community, will not forget that in a hurry.

So Sainsbury’s and Iceland ring-fencing shopping hours for the elderly and the vulnerable: tick. Morrisons pledging to pay suppliers immediately: tick. Distillers, brewers and luxury perfume-makers switching production to make hand sanitiser: tick.