Orange started to gradually reopen stores in France as the country relaxed lockdown rules imposed to limit the spread of Covid-19 (coronavirus), aiming to allow access to nearly all outlets in the country by end-May.

The company said it began the move on 11 May and had already opened doors to 176 stores in major cities, accounting for 30 per cent of its total.

Orange stated it imposed measures to ensure the health of its employees and customers, including implementing an appointment booking system to reduce the time people spend in stores, a “simple, efficient and rapid organisation” covering subscriptions, tariff changes, purchasing phones or changing SIM.

Sales staff are equipped with protective masks, and point of sale (POS) terminals are cleaned after each visit.

“Since the start of the lockdown period, the Orange Group has faced an unprecedented challenge. The increase in usage observed on our networks has never been seen before”, the company noted, adding its teams were fully mobilised to support customers.