How stores are gearing up for the return of shoppers
With an announcement expected soon on the re-opening of non-essential shops in Wales, Thomas Deacon caught up with retailers preparing to welcome back shoppers
SINCE the lockdown, high streets across Wales have been unrecognisable.
Once bustling and full of shoppers, independent traders and big chains have been left empty for months with no end in sight.
But now there’s a glimmer of hope. With the number of coronavirus related deaths and infections across Wales continuing to decline and stores in England having started to reopen, talk has turned to when non-essential shops here could reopen.
Although no confirmation has yet been given on when non-essential stores might reopen, it’s expected an update will be provided on Friday and many businesses are getting ready for any changes.
Restrictions are being reviewed tomorrow, with First Minister Mark Drakeford likely to make the decisions public on Friday.
He has already hinted that nonessential shops could re-open from June 22 after he told them nearly three weeks ago to prepare for opening with social distancing rules in place. And last week economy minister Ken Skates set out a timetable of how shops, tourist businesses, and other parts of the economy could re-open.
But ahead of any official announcement, many shops across Wales are busy getting ready for the new normal of two-metre social distancing, Perspex screens and cashless payments.
One company busy preparing is YC Sports in Cardiff.
Although the sports clothing company has been operating online since the lockdown, they’re looking forward to any easing of the rules.
Now the staff are getting busy across their three Cardiff sites ahead of any changes.
Manager Yeexia Lim said: “In our Cathays store we’re putting up about six foot high boards to help keep people apart.
“We’ve also made the shop one way as much as we can and we’ve built kiosks so our staff can sit behind them basically.
“Anyone who comes in will come to the kiosk, ask for what they want and then we’ll go and get it for them and show it to them through the kiosk, then they’ll walk one way around the shop to the till point.”
They’ll also look at limiting the number of people allowed in the stores at one time and have altered their opening hours.
Normally 9am to 5.30pm and then 9am to 8pm in the summer, they plan to open from 10am to 8pm when restrictions are eased to factor in how fewer people will be allowed in the stores at one time.
Yeexia said: “We can’t wait to be back to some normality.
“It’s obviously been a lot quieter on lockdown but our online business has been doing well.
“Now we’re focusing on getting the stores ready and just reorganising things. That’s the main focus right now.”
Some businesses without the luxury of large stores or multiple sites are having to get creative with how they’re going to deal with social distancing rules.
Tucked away in Wellfield Court in Roath sits small vintage store Penny Lane Vintage. For owner Belinda O’Donnell, part of the problem has been trying to squeeze as much floor space out as possible.
Belinda, who set up the store six years ago, has been busy for the last few weeks preparing to eventually reopen but called for a date to be set to work towards.
Belinda said: “For the last few weeks I’ve been clearing my shop to make it a lot bigger, taking out half of my stock and packing it away and deciding what I want to reopen the shop with.
“I’ve had a thorough clean of the shop from top-to-bottom and by clearing the shop I’ve widened the space. The irritating thing has been we don’t know what date we are reopening so it would have been nice to have a date to work towards, but we’re still waiting to hear.”
Now Belinda is working on moving the shop counter and installing screens.
She also plans to give customers disposable gloves when inside so they can touch clothes that she hopes they can still try on. They she’ll quarantine any items if they do.
In Newport one store is waiting for any official announcement before making any changes.
Record shop Diverse Vinyl, found on Charles Street, has been operating online since the shops closed. Now they’re waiting for the Welsh Government’s announcement on Friday before they make any decisions to rush back to the physical shop.
Matt Jarrett, co-owner of Diverse Vinyl, said: “We’ve been doing well online so it’s probably not the blind panic that a lot of shops have.”
He added: “We haven’t had a proper conversation about reopening as we’re yet to see a firm date when that’s allowed to happen.
“We need to know if we’re required to have perspex counter screens or floor markings before we can make a plan; obviously a one-way system is extremely difficult to implement in a small shop like ours.”
For another small Cardiff store, they’re already allowed to be open and
have been coping with the new measures for weeks.
Long-standing Canton Cobblers on Cowbridge Road was allowed to remain open throughout the whole lockdown, due to the key-cutting service they provide, but after a week they decided to close up.
Manager Timothy Fowler explained they then decided to reopen around six weeks ago.
On Tuesday he said: “It was when we saw a sufficient shift in the decline in the death rate and infection rate, and when we thought it was safe to do so.
“Obviously we’ve measured the surface area of the shop floor and complied with the advice given to us by the Government, so we can fit about two people in at a time with two-metre social distancing.
“We’ve got a sanitation station, we’ve got masks and visors, signage on the walls.”
Despite being allowed to stay open when many have been closed, Timothy said business has been slow.
He said: “It’s been absolutely dreadful since we’ve opened up.
“Each day has improved on the last, so it’s a slow, slow build-up.
“The only thing I can compare it to was it was like starting a new business.”
He added they are looking forward to any announcement from the Welsh Government which could give people more confidence to shop.
Although stores in Wales are still waiting for the announcement, shoppers in England have already seen some normality return to their high streets.
Meanwhile, staff at Friars Walk in Newport, one of South Wales’ largest shopping centres, are also busy preparing.
Yesterday site director at Friars Walk Simon Pullen said they’ve added markings on the floor and on benches and made the car park contactless payment only.
He said: “Over the past few weeks, we have been preparing our reopening plans so that Friars Walk is ready to welcome tenants and shoppers back into the centre as soon as we have confirmation from the Welsh Government that we are able to do so.
“We will be in a position to update on opening further after the First Minister’s announcement at the end of this week.
“We have put a raft of measures in place, with the health and well-being of our staff and shoppers being the key focus; these include a one-way system in the mall, floor vinyls to encourage people to keep their distance and regular sanitisation of key touchpoints such as lift buttons and door handles, car park machines, etc.
“The width of our semi-outdoor mall lends itself well to a one-way system, and our staff will be on hand to help guide people as they get used to the new systems in place. Where needed, we will also limit the number of shoppers in the mall at any one time to ensure that everyone can keep a safe distance.
“As always, we are working closely with our tenants to ensure they are doing all they can to make the customer journey as safe and comfortable as possible, and we will be updating our shoppers through our website and social media channels as we move towards reopening the centre.”