Brazilian GPA group, owner of the Pão de Açúcar, Extra and Assaí grocery chains, is registering such a strong increase in online sales that it has reached its limit of operational capacity, the company informed market analysts, according to Valor Econômico.

For its bricks and mortar stores, though, the company is considering limiting customer access to reduce the risk of contagion with the new coronavirus.

State- and city-level governments have already decreed the closure of shopping malls and high street stores in several capitals of Brazil, but the operation of grocery stores and pharmacies is authorized.