Coronavirus: Shops reopening not 'like a tap turned back on', warns retail industry chief
Despite the planned easing of lockdown rules, businesses expect demand to be subdued due to social distancing rules.
Tuesday 26 May 2020 15:37, UK
The reopening of high street shops is not going to be "like a tap turned back on" with a return to business as usual, a retail industry boss has warned.
Speaking to Sky News' Ian King Live programme, Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, suggested she expected that - following an initial uplift in trade with the easing of coronavirus restrictions - demand would remain subdued.
Her comments came as the Bank of England's chief economist Andy Haldane warned there would be a period of "prolonged caution" by people and businesses after the COVID-19 lockdown was lifted - and highlighted the risk of an extended "lopsided V"-shaped recovery.
However, while Mr Haldane thought the UK economy had probably shrunk by more than a fifth in the current quarter, the data was "just a shade better" than forecast.
Meanwhile, the markets responded positively with a hike in shares after Boris Johnson announced outdoor markets and showrooms will be able to in England from 1 June - as long as they kept customers safe.
All other non-essential retailers - including shops selling clothes, shoes, toys, furniture, books, and electronics, plus tailors, auction houses, photography studios, and indoor markets - can follow suit two weeks later, from 15 June.
Employers will face "spot checks" to make sure they are implementing social distancing, and have been told they must complete a risk assessment after consultation with trade unions and workers.
Ms Dickinson told Sky News that non-essential retailers could learn safety measures from those shops that had remained open, such as supermarkets.
She added: "I think what we have seen in other markets is that on the immediate days after restrictions are lifted then there is an uptick of some pent-up demand.
"But the real big question is what that looks like on an ongoing basis.
"I think there is absolutely widespread recognition across the industry that there is no way that it's going be like a tap turned back on and suddenly it will be completely business as usual.
"I think demand will remain subdued both because of the physical restrictions in terms of how many people can actually enter a shop at any particular point and because I think we all, as members of the public, will want to be confident and careful, and have a responsibility to do that too, in the way that we shop."
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Firms have been told to consider a number of measures to reassure customers and staff, including:
- Placing a poster in their windows to demonstrate awareness of the guidance
- Storing returned items for 72 hours before putting them back out on the shop floor
- Placing protective coverings on large items touched by the public such as beds or sofas
- Frequently cleaning objects and surfaces that are touched regularly, including self-checkouts, trolleys, coffee machines and betting terminals
Mr Johnson unveiled the next steps in his plan to "unlock the lockdown" on Monday, some nine weeks after strict "stay at home" measures began.
The announcement came as he faced continued questions about his support for Dominic Cummings following controversy over the senior adviser's movements during lockdown.