Following the government's announcement that all non-essential shops are to be shut to prevent the spread of coronavirus, The Leaders Council spoke with Vincent Page, director of Antiques on High, to ask his views on the government’s handling of the situation.
Page said: “As a High Street retailer and with a genuine concern for both our customers and those who work in the stores we shut our doors on Tuesday March 17, six days before the PM issued rules and regulations to severely restrict movement throughout the country.
“In our view there is no number of daily takings that is worth the health and welfare and potentially the life of any of our customers or any of our antique dealers who work in the store. While I appreciate that some provide essentials, I struggle to understand how some appear to put financial gain in preference to life itself.”
With the government’s new model in place, Antiques on High’s source of income as a high street retailer was also a subject of interest for Page.
He said: “Our income effectively ceased on the 17 March; however, we are still very much alive which given the escalation of the virus and the colossal global infection rates must be considered something to be grateful for. We quite literally only leave our home for food shopping and that is strategically planned to limit human contact, planning each evening meal to ensure the food we have lasts as long as possible has almost become a hobby.”
Page continued: “The economy of Great Britain has in the space of two weeks ground to a halt, however prior to the outbreak and despite Brexit, which now feels so insignificant, the economy had stood its own ground and was in a stronger situation than it had been a year ago, so I have no doubt that after been kept indoors for however long it takes to deal with this situation when normality returns, the steely resolve of this country will storm out of the starting blocks and pick up where we left off.”
The distribution of loans for small businesses has been criticised, with some banks demanding personal guarantees in order to issue businesses with government supported emergency loans. Critics suggest this puts the burden of responsibility on the small businesses as opposed to the banks.
