WE ALL FEAR MAYHEM AT THE SUMMIT
City businesses sound alarm over mass protests, street closures and disruption
BUSINESS owners fear their shops could be destroyed, supplies disrupted and customers driven away by the mayhem caused by protesters during Cop26.
Around 150,000 activists are expected to descend on Glasgow during the twoweek event, which begins on October 31, prompting one business owner to look into buying terrorism insurance.
Police have indicated they will act ‘swiftly’ on serious disruption, but said some demonstrations including those on minor roads will be allowed to go ahead.
Groups such as Greenpeace and Extinction Rebellion have already announced their intention to stage protests.
Meanwhile, industry bodies including the Federation of Small Businesses and Glasgow Chamber of Commerce have warned businesses to ‘expect disruption’.
Soni Ahmed, who owns MAIA Gifts, is so concerned about potential disorder he is looking into terrorism insurance.
He said: ‘We just don’t know what will happen with the protesters – and with the world’s eyes on Glasgow, people might take the opportunity to do something. We are just on the periphery but if we were closer to George Square I would be very worried.
‘It just doesn’t seem like something they should have in a city.’
Meanwhile, the influx of around 25,000 delegates will bring a host of road closures, which could see businesses and their staff cut off along vital routes.
There are also fears Glaswegians will be dissuaded from entering the city centre at a time when the retail industry is only just recovering from lockdowns.
Mr Ahmed said this would have a devastating impact on sales.
He added: ‘We get quite a lot of people who come down from the North of Scotland this time of year to do their Christmas shopping early and it’s going to affect them.
‘It’s a critical phase for us, the lead-up to Christmas.
‘We will be getting stock in and if that is delayed it’s going to have a knock-on effect. I think there’s been an oversight on the functionality of the city and they have forgotten about Glaswegians, it’s just not really fair on those who live and work in the city.
‘We were excited when we first heard about Cop26 coming but then you see what it is actually going to take to make it happen and you just want it to be away.’
Sandy McLane, who owns Love Music Glasgow, fears the proposed rail strikes during the event will also have a devastating impact.
He said: ‘I’m most concerned about the trains, that’s a big section of our demographic who get the train to see us.’
He added: ‘There’s been very little concern given to Glaswegians. I’ve certainly not been consulted as a business owner.’
Billy Gibson, who owns outdoor store Adventure 1, also expressed worries about disruption.
He said: ‘My only concern is that we are going to lose business. I imagine that people are going to stay away from the city centre.
‘Glasgow is not fully recovered. We are not anywhere near the levels of two years ago. If we get a fortnight where we get no trade there might be redundancies.’
Confusion about the summit has also left businesses unsure of how to plan for the event.
Pete Walker, art consultant at Castle Fine Arts, said: ‘There has been literally zero consideration given to Glaswegians. We don’t really know what it is all going to look like, it’s a bit cloudy.
‘With the Commonwealth Games we had letters telling us what was going to happen but we’ve not been told anything. Our staff should be fine to get in, but there might be issues for clients coming in to pick up orders.’
According to the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC), city footfall last month was 21 per cent lower than pre-Covid.
Glasgow Chamber of Commerce said some disruption would be ‘inevitable’. Its chief executive, Stuart Patrick, said: ‘The businesses and people of Glasgow know how important it is to tackle climate change and are clearly supportive of the drive to net zero.
‘People have the right to protest but it’s our hope they do so in a way that doesn’t disadvantage Glaswegians and companies working hard to recover from the pandemic.’
However, for some retailers, Cop26 is a chance to appeal to a new market.
Jonathan Meighan, head of retail at Glasgow clothing brand Forty, said: ‘I’m excited about it. Glasgow is a brilliant city, people will love it and go away thinking about what an amazing time they have had and hopefully want to return.
‘We’re a Glasgow brand and we’re hoping people will buy into that and will want a real souvenir.’
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Scotland was also confident of a tourism boost.
Its policy chairman, Andrew McRae, said the scale of the road closures had ‘worried some in business, as well as people who travel for work’. But he said: ‘FSB polling clearly shows that Scotland’s small business community cares deeply about the environment and they’ll want Cop26 to be a great success as much as anyone.’
SRC director David Lonsdale said: ‘Most retailers in Glasgow have well-developed contingency plans in place to deal with a massive event like Cop26. Retailers continue to carefully monitor developments including road closures, industrial action with public transport, and planned protests.
‘However, with trading conditions very tough at the moment, and with Glasgow’s shopper footfall down by a fifth compared to pre-pandemic times, this will certainly put these plans to the test.’
‘Certainly not been consulted’