Spotlight launches click and collect in locked down Melbourne

Bored Melbournians stuck in lockdown don't need to worry if they've run out of materials for their isolation DIY projects.

Spotlight — Australia's largest supplier of fabric, craft, and other DIY goodies — has launched a new contactless click and collect service in the locked down city.

With participating stores across 15 Melbourne suburbs, people stuck at home with nothing to do can shop online for materials to make masks and other crafts at home.

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Shoppers then simply select a store within five kilometres of their home — in keeping with current coronavirus restrictions — and drive through to pick up their purchases.

Spotlight workers will place their items near the vehicle for the customer to collect, making the entire process contactless.

Spotlight employees are also following COVID-19 rules, observing strict social distancing requirements in stores and wearing compulsory face coverings.

It's a new initiative for the store, as it and other retailers around Australia work to adapt to ever-changing COVID-19 restrictions.

With Melbourne having gone into complete lockdown following a sharp spike in case numbers, Spotlight CEO Quentin Gracanin said the retailer will continue to follow rules set out by the Victorian Government.

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"Spotlight is committed to helping Victorian families get through this pandemic with access to the materials and items they need, at the time they need them most," he said in a press release.

"We will continue to follow the orders of the Victorian Government and we thank our team for working tirelessly to safely support our customers through this difficult time."

It's not the first Aussie retailer to introduce new ways to shop safely in response to the pandemic, and likely won't be the last.

Thousands of Australian retailers and restaurants have shifted to delivery services and contactless transactions in a bid to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

With the nation bracing for a second wave of the pandemic, it's expected that more stores will follow Spotlight in introducing contactless click and collect services in places like Melbourne.

Spotlight Click and Collect is currently available at most Melbourne metropolitan stores and will roll out to regional Victorian stores from Monday, 17 August. Online delivery is still available as normal.