Boots held back its parent company in the latest quarter as UK retail sales fell. But the firm is upbeat as it works to transform its fortunes with a bigger premium beauty offer.

Swiss fragrance producer Givaudan said Thursday it would produce 60 tonnes of hand sanitiser over the next two weeks to meet chronic shortages of the product needed to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

Beauty e-tail giant The Hut Group has set up a £10 million package due to the coronavirus crisis to support vulnerable communities as well as key workers and emergency services in the UK and abroad.

AS Watson-owned UK fragrance retailer The Perfume Shop has become the latest major name to shut its online operations on the back of the coronavirus crisis.

L'Oréal announced on Monday that it predicts a year-over-year decrease of around 5% in its first-quarter sales due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The company also withdrew its annual financial guidance. 

The American cosmetics retailer announced on Monday that it will be paying workers in its distribution centers a $2-per-hour wage premium to thank them for their continued work during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

L Brands announced on Friday that it is extending temporary store closures at its store banners and taking steps to secure its finances, as a future with Covid-19 remains uncertain. 

Superdrug has revealed that many of its stores are still open to provide essential products but all in-store beauty studio services have been temporarily suspended.

Production and donations are expected to reach tens of thousands of units per week, the company said, and the sanitizer will go to health care workers free of charge. 

The coronavirus pandemic is dominating most consumers’ and businesses’ thinking at the moment, but companies and market analysts are still looking to a post-coronavirus world in which other subjects come to the fore.

Inter Parfums said on Monday that it has a healthy cash balance as it faces the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus and is working to keep its stakeholders safe while looking to the future recovery.

The arrangement aims to ensure that those who are unable to work continue to receive full pay. This includes people who have tested positive, those who have to self isolate and parents who are unable to work remotely.

The American cosmetics conglomerate has reported that it expects to see a 20% decline in sales in Q3 and also announced a series of measures it is implementing to counteract the effects of the ongoing health crisis.

Luxury group LVMH said Sunday that it would begin producing sanitising hand gel at three of its perfume and cosmetics sites in France, for distribution to French hospitals fighting the country's coronavirus outbreak.

The beauty retailer announced solid growth in its fourth-quarter and full-year 2019 sales and earnings on Thursday and provided an update on the measures it is taking in its stores to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

Store upgrades may not be the most exciting news stories, but they are interesting when those upgrades are reflective of strong trends in the market as with the Jo Malone upgrade as St David's in Cardiff.