(Yicai Global) May 19 -- Many foreign food retailers, including Walmart, Metro, and Carrefour, are resuming offline operations in Shanghai this week amid ebbing Covid-19 outbreaks.

US retail giant Walmart told Yicai Global that its Sam's Club members-only stores have resumed offline operations since early May. All the three stores in Pudong and Qingpu are now open, allowing members to make reservations on its app and then come and buy offline.

As the most recent wave of Covid-19 cases is getting under control, Shanghai will gradually reopen shopping malls, supermarkets, convenience stores, and pharmacies from May 16, according to the municipal government. The plan is to resume normal business and activities next month.

Five stores of German retailer Metro have now resumed offline operations in the eastern city. All the outlets are well stocked with meat, eggs, milk, vegetables, and various other food products, the firm said to Yicai Global. The stores also have enough capacity to deliver online orders.

French brand Carrefour has reopened some of its stores in Shanghai's Pudong, Xuhui, Songjiang, Hongkou, and Qingpu districts. Moreover, more than 300 outlets of Japanese convenience store franchise Lawson have opened their doors again in the city, or 20 percent of the total, Yicai Global learned.

Many grocery stores have been operating online during the latest Covid-19 outbreaks. Sam's Club said that its e-commerce staff were sleeping in stores or nearby hotels when the lockdown began to ensure delivery.

Some Lawson stores maintained 24-hour operations during the lockdown. When there was a shortage of delivery staff, some store workers were receiving orders from neighboring residents through WeChat groups and delivering the orders by themselves, the company told Yicai Global.

Editor: Dou Shicong, Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi