Shops in England have reopened for the first time since lockdown and have been met with significant queues from members of the public.
Retailers, deemed non-essential under government guidance, have been closed for almost three months in a bid to reduce the spread of Covid-19. For those such as Primark , who do not retail their products online, this is the first stream of revenue since the countrywide lockdown.
Doug Putman, owner of HMV, voiced his concern that: "If you've got the same cost structure to run the business but sales are down even 20 per cent it makes a lot of companies unviable.
"We're being very hesitant, we believe that it is going to be a tough year."
In order to reopen, shops are required to introduce specific measures to ensure the safety of staff and customers which includes the placement of plastic screens at tills and regular floor markings to ensure shoppers remain two metres apart. Customers will also be encouraged not to touch products unless they plan on purchasing them. Shopping baskets will be decontaminated following use.
Fitting rooms will be closed in the majority of shops, while Waterstones has already promised to put items touched but not purchased in quarantine for 72 hours in a back room. Some jewellers will use ultraviolet boxes to decontaminate items in a matter of minutes.
According to the British Retail Consortium, the reopening of stores should not be viewed as an immediate boost for the sector. Helen Dickinson, BRC chief executive noted: "A mix of low consumer confidence and limits on the number of people able to enter stores mean that many shops will continue to suffer lower footfall - and lower sales - for some time to come."
