The majority of shops in England are reopening today after three months with socially distanced queues already forming before 7am.
Stores including Zara, John Lewis and Debenhams have slashed prices by as much as 70 per cent in a bid to lure shoppers back. Desperate fashion chains are sitting on as much as £15billion of unsold stock they are keen to shift with the largest queues appearing to be outside Primark in Marble Arch, London, and Doncaster this morning.
But despite stores offering huge discounts, one-way systems and quarantined footwear for returning shoppers, data from the Office of National Statistics suggests that a massive 64 per cent of people in England are too afraid to leave their house. And twenty per cent of people said they would never step foot in a shop again, according to a separate survey.
Shops will offer hand sanitiser stations and many will enforce infection control by quarantining unbought items for 72 hours after they have been handled. Staff in high-vis jackets and PPE will ensure shoppers are kept two metres apart, browsing and handling items will be discouraged and there will be a plea not to use cash. There will also be limits on the numbers allowed through the door, which means queues are likely.
Most till staff will be behind glass or plastic screens to protect them from anyone who may have coronavirus.
Boris Johnson has urged the country to return to the high street and ‘shop with confidence’ when non-essential stores reopen today with huge price cuts.
The Prime Minister said he was ‘very optimistic’ that the lifting of restrictions would help the economy bounce back from three months of coronavirus lockdown.
Queues of shoppers waiting for the opening of Primark’s flagship store in Birmingham today after three months of waiting for their fashion hit
People were waiting for hours to get ready before the opening time as Boris Johnson urged people to support business
Shoppers will see staff behind plexiglass screens at the tills to protect staff, like these installed in a London branch of Waterstones
Commuters at Waterloo Station in London on the first day compulsory face coverings have to be worn on public transport
Speaking during a visit to the Westfield shopping centre in east London yesterday, the PM said he hoped to see a ‘gradual’ build-up of people visiting the high street.
‘I am very optimistic about the opening up that’s going to be happening,’ he said.
‘I think people should shop and shop with confidence but they should of course observe the rules on social distancing and do it as safely as possible.’
Rishi Sunak will consider relaxing Sunday trading laws and slashing tax in a bid to boost the economy, he revealed yesterday.
Admitting there would be great ‘hardship’ ahead, the Chancellor refused to rule out cutting VAT amid concerns many will lose their jobs when the furlough scheme ends.
Britain’s GDP crashed by more than 20 per cent in April according to figures released on Friday, and analysts warn that up to 4.5million could lose their jobs.
The Chancellor said the government had helped save many jobs through its furlough scheme, but said this would not be sustainable in the long run.
Footfall data from Springboard showed an 11 per cent fall in people going out to shop last week compared to the previous week, with numbers also down for every day back to and including June 3.
Stores will also feature markings outside to assist with socially-distanced queuing and encourage customers to shop alone where possible.
Europe’s shops have imposed a long list of health restrictions since stores began to re-open, with shoppers on the continent already used to the masks, screens and distancing measure.
Some countries such as Italy and Germany have ordered compulsory mask-wearing, while others have merely recommended them or left it up to individual shops to decide.
There are also limits on the number of people entering shops in Germany and Austria, along with temperature checks at a fish market in Italy – while a bride-to-be tried on a wedding dress with a matching white face mask in the Netherlands today.
Countries such as Germany and Denmark have not seen a new surge in cases since they started to lift the lockdown.
Struggling retailers hope big price cuts will be enough to tempt people to face the new style of shopping.
Next has already opened 64 outlets, which combine home and fashion departments, and another 64 will open today with more to follow this week. A video issued by the retail giant revealed all staff will be wearing head visors and in some cases face masks.
Queues form at Primark in Doncaster before 7am today as all non-essential shops in England can reopen
Just some of the bargains on offer when non-essential stores reopen to eager customers today in the next stage of gradually-easing lockdown measures
The Prime Minister visited Westfield shopping centre in East London yesterday ahead of Monday’s big retail relaunch for the British economy
In line with Government guidelines, fitting rooms will be closed and all returned items will be quarantined for 72 hours.
This policy is also being adopted HMV and Waterstones, which is asking browsers to leave any items they handle in a trolley so they can be taken away.
Shoes retailer Kurt Geiger’s safeguards include protective gloves and face masks for staff.
Hand sanitiser will be compulsory for anyone trying on shoes and customers will be asked to wear disposable pop-socks if they do not have their own.
All shoes that have been tried on will go into quarantine for at least 24 hours afterwards.
Despite the Government’s desire to breathe life into our favourite shops, many will never reopen.
Retail analyst Richard Hyman said: ‘We already know the number of shoppers will be way down because of distancing and managing traffic in store at any one time. But also, a proportion of the population remain anxious and will avoid going shopping unless and until they must.
‘It’s going to be awful for quite some time. We will certainly see many more casualties and, inevitably, significant losses too.’
Paul Martin, UK head of retail at KPMG, said: ‘Some stores may not reopen at all.’
Consumer markets leader at PwC, Lisa Hooker, said: ‘If queues for recently reopened retailers have shown us anything, it’s possible that pent-up consumer demand may in fact lead to good news for retailers trying to preserve margins. However, if June trading does not make a big enough dent in stocks, we predict a rush of promotions and sales later in the summer.’
Shoppers may splash the cash as the shops reopen, but with fewer toilets available it may be harder to spend a penny.
A day out at the shops pre-lockdown would likely have involved lunch and the use of a restaurant’s facilities, but as eateries are still shut shoppers will be depending on public toilets.
The Government has urged councils to open public toilets ‘wherever possible’, and while many have plans in place, there are also areas where facilities will not be available.
Public toilets in Birmingham are not expected to open until next month.
A spokeswoman for Birmingham City Council said: ‘The contractors are awaiting a delivery of PPE before we are able to open the toilets, which we expect to be open in July.’
Liverpool City Council said there will be a ‘limited number’ of public toilets located at train stations and at Liverpool One’s Information Centre, adding that the number of people entering the toilets will also be limited.
The council also said the information centre toilets will be closed for short periods every hour for cleaning which will result in reduced capacity.
Westminster City Council said that with the exception of the Broadwick Street site in Soho, all public toilets are open and operating normally.
A spokesman said entrance fee charges have been temporarily suspended to ensure people can access toilets and washing facilities more easily, while additional staff have been deployed to monitor cleanliness standards and deter anti-social behaviour.
All public toilets will reopen in York with changes to the facilities including automatic flushes, automatic water and soap dispensers, replacing hand dryers with hand towels, and more regular and increased cleaning.
The council in York said clear guidance will be placed in toilets such as social distancing floor stickers, advice on how to wash hands or use hand santiser, and instructions on not touching surfaces or handles.
A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokeswoman said: ‘While decisions to reopen public toilets are for councils, we strongly encourage them to open wherever possible.
‘We’ve published guidance to help them ensure facilities are safe where they are open including increasing cleaning of touch points.’
The safer public spaces guidance encourages owners and operators of public places to increase cleaning at touch points such as handrails and gates, and to ensure there are facilities available for people to maintain good hygiene.
A spokesman for the Local Government Association said: ‘Councils have been working hard to make sure high streets and town centres are safe for businesses and shoppers and implement measures to help communities and high streets transition to our new way of life.
‘Social distancing looks set to play some part in our everyday lives for some time to come. Shop owners and businesses along with the public have a shared responsibility to follow the advice on social distancing.
‘Councils will be taking individual local decisions about public toilets based on a risk assessment and whether social distancing measures can be maintained.’
Rail workers’ leaders have warned that the compulsory use of face coverings on public transport in England from Monday must not be seen as a green light for wider use of trains and buses.
Union officials also made it clear that police, rather than frontline transport workers, must ensure the new rules are adhered to.
Coverings must now be worn by most people on buses, trams, trains, coaches, aircraft and ferries, a move welcomed by workers.
Manuel Cortes, general secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA), said: ‘The changes in the rules are welcome as they are likely to lower transmission of the virus on the transport network.
‘However, this must not be seen as a green light among the wider population to use public transport.
‘It must remain the case that only the key workers who are keeping us safe during the pandemic continue to use public transport.
‘It’s also important to stress that a physical distance of at least two metres between passengers and/or staff must be maintained at all times.’