Canada Goose, Gap to make scrubs, patient gowns in battle against coronavirus
(Reuters) - Retailers Canada Goose Holdings Inc and Gap Inc said they would begin production of medical gear for healthcare workers and patients to aid the battle against the coronavirus pandemic. The Canadian company, known for its luxury parkas, said on Wednesday it would make scrubs and patient gowns, which are in short supply, and will begin distributing them to local hospitals free of cost next week.
(Reuters) - Retailers Canada Goose Holdings Inc and Gap Inc said they would begin production of medical gear for healthcare workers and patients to aid the battle against the coronavirus pandemic.
The Canadian company, known for its luxury parkas, said on Wednesday it would make scrubs and patient gowns, which are in short supply, and will begin distributing them to local hospitals free of cost next week.
The production will start in two of its plants in Toronto and Winnipeg, with about 50 employees per facility working with an initial goal of manufacturing 10,000 units.
U.S. retailer Gap also announced similar plans late Tuesday and said it would pivot resources so that its factory partners can manufacture masks, gowns and scrubs for healthcare workers on the frontline of the outbreak.
The company said in a post https://twitter.com/GapInc/status/1242652699314675713 on Twitter that it would connect its vendors with some hospitals in California for the supply of personal protective equipment.
Last month, Canada Goose had forecast a hit to its annual profit and revenue as the outbreak in China hurt store traffic.
The forecast reflects a crisis across global luxury brands that have been investing heavily to launch more stores and beef up online presence to capitalize on the spending power of Chinese shoppers.
Canada Goose, which generates about a fifth of its revenue from Asia and sells $1,000 parkas, operates three stores in China and sells on online marketplace Tmall.
(Reporting by Sanjana Shivdas in Bengaluru, Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
also read
France, Germany to agree to NATO role against Islamic State - sources | Reuters
By Robin Emmott and John Irish | BRUSSELS/PARIS BRUSSELS/PARIS France and Germany will agree to a U.S. plan for NATO to take a bigger role in the fight against Islamic militants at a meeting with President Donald Trump on Thursday, but insist the move is purely symbolic, four senior European diplomats said.The decision to allow the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to join the coalition against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq follows weeks of pressure on the two allies, who are wary of NATO confronting Russia in Syria and of alienating Arab countries who see NATO as pushing a pro-Western agenda."NATO as an institution will join the coalition," said one senior diplomat involved in the discussions. "The question is whether this just a symbolic gesture to the United States
China's Xi says navy should become world class | Reuters
BEIJING Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called for greater efforts to make the country's navy a world class one, strong in operations on, below and above the surface, as it steps up its ability to project power far from its shores.China's navy has taken an increasingly prominent role in recent months, with a rising star admiral taking command, its first aircraft carrier sailing around self-ruled Taiwan and a new aircraft carrier launched last month.With President Donald Trump promising a US shipbuilding spree and unnerving Beijing with his unpredictable approach on hot button issues including Taiwan and the South and East China Seas, China is pushing to narrow the gap with the U.S. Navy.Inspecting navy headquarters, Xi said the navy should "aim for the top ranks in the world", the Defence Ministry said in a statement about his visit."Building a strong and modern navy is an important mark of a top ranking global military," the ministry paraphrased Xi as saying.