(Yicai Global) April 13 -- Large retailers in Shanghai are working hard to reopen eligible stores and are intensifying their efforts to get supplies to special groups such as senior citizens, after the city was shut down to fight the latest Covid-19 outbreak, Yicai Global learned.

Two of the six stores US retail giant Walmart has in Shanghai resumed online services yesterday, a source at the company told Yicai Global. Two outlets of Sam’s Club, a Walmart unit, are already back in business, while the others are preparing to reopen.

Local retail giant Bailian Group told Yicai Global that stores of its Lianhua Supermarket are getting ready to open their doors again soon and some offline outlets are back up and running to supply locked-down local communities.

The number of Carrefour’s supermarkets ready to resume online business has doubled in the past week, a source at the French retail behemoth told Yicai Global, adding that 80 percent of the stores in Shanghai are expected to reopen this week.

The person in charge of Alibaba Group Holdings’ supermarket chain Hema Fresh told Yicai Global that since the start of the latest Covid-19 outbreak its “offline stores in Shanghai have tried their best to stay in business and online order services have been open.” Hema Fresh has been offering a special group purchase package, mainly for fruit and vegetables, for locked-down communities, he added.

Retailers are also planning to boost the supply of goods to special groups. Chinese supermarket chain Yonghui Superstores recently launched a special service to help mothers and infants and the elderly during lockdown, Yicai Global learned. They can fill in a special needs section in the Yonghui Life app and the nearest physical outlet will gets orders to them.

After receiving a call for help from residents in a neighboring community, You Jianxun, manager at German wholesale giant Metro’s store in Shanghai Pudong Shopping Mall, told Yicai Global that he immediately dispatched baby formula, diapers, and supplemental infant foods.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Futura Costaglione