DSW Begins to Reopen Stores

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With state governments lifting shelter-in-place and other quarantine restrictions on local businesses, Designer Brands Inc. (DBI), parent company of DSW, has begun to re-open its stores across the country. In the first week of May, the company expects to reopen almost 200 stores in the United States and Canada.

“DBI has implemented several new procedures in-store, which include ‘contact-free’ shopping by limiting transactions to credit, debit or gift cards only; designating special shopping hours for senior citizens and other at-risk customers; and designating merchandise try-on areas,” states CEO Roger Rawlins. His full statement from can be found here.

Other initiatives in place include:

• Providing ongoing training for associates regarding store cleanliness and customer interaction
• Monitoring associates’ temperature as they arrive for work
• Posting associates at store entrances to monitor customer entry and exit to minimize traffic in stores
• Installing sanitation stations at the front of the stores, including hand sanitizer and gloves for customers
• Posting storewide reminders to remain six feet from others and directional signage limiting traffic flow within the aisles to one way
• Adding health shields at registers and wiping down between customer interactions at registers
• Implementing a process for sanitizing merchandise, and a separate protocol for sanitizing returned merchandise

DBI has also announced a donation initiative supporting Covid-19 relief with the power of shoes. Together with Reebok, DBI’s Camuto Group and long-term partner Soles4Souls, DSW locations across the country will be accepting shoe donations throughout May. Camuto Group will also be donating Kelly & Katie handbags. Customer donations of gently used shoes (customers who donate two or more pairs of shoes will receive an instant $10 reward) and a donation of 100k pairs of new shoes from DSW, Camuto and Reebok will be presented to those frontline workers and their families. Shoe donations can be dropped off at all open DSW locations, as well as all locations offering curbside pickup.

Clean scene: Reopened DSW stores will feature many new safe shopping standards.