ALL OVER THE SHOPS
SHOPPERS SURGE BACK TO CARDIFF STORES AFTER END OF FIREBREAK LOCKDOWN
SHOPPERS flocked back to some of Cardiff’s biggest stores yesterday, as Wales’ 17-day “firebreak” lockdown was lifted.
The flurry of activity in the city centre and elsewhere in the capital came as “non-essential” retailers re-opened their doors following the end of severe restrictions to tackle rising coronavirus rates.
As a new set of rules came into force yesterday, shoppers were seen queuing for Primark before the store opened.
Meanwhile shoppers claimed there were chaotic scenes in Ikea in Grangetown.
Pictures from the Swedish furniture giant showed large queues snaking around the shop, with reports there were “queues everywhere you looked”.
One shopper – who did not wish to be named – said: “Everybody is queuing, people are going in different directions.
“You have to walk back against the queues after collecting furniture. It is chaos and there were queues everywhere you look.
“Staff said they let too many in and can’t control it. There was no social distancing whatsoever with people pushing in all over the place.”
There were later reports of long queues outside as the number of shoppers inside was restricted.
An Ikea spokeswoman said: “Ikea has made extensive plans for today’s reopening and put enhanced safety measures into place to ensure the safety and comfort of customers and co-workers in line with Government guidance.
“This includes a staggered entry system, limited numbers of customers in store at any one time, amounting to approximately a quarter of the store’s normal capacity, with a one in one out process when capacity is reached, and social distancing throughout.
“Additionally, the showroom, market hall and self-serve areas are continuously monitored, to ensure a balanced flow of customers throughout.
“To be fair to all, and to limit browsing, all customers are encouraged to come prepared for what they want to buy, enabling them to make their way through the store as quickly as possible.”
Businesses have said they are happy to be back trading but unsure of the future following the end of Wales’ firebreak.
The reopening of retailers, bars and cafes saw crowded streets and queues of eager shoppers throughout Cardiff city centre.
The longest queue of people could be found outside Queen Street’s Primark store as security staff allowed a steady stream of hundreds of shoppers inside the discount fashion store, which does not have an online shop.
Shoppers were seen queuing in a socially distanced way outside the shop before it had opened.
The large queue spiralled around the store, past the EE shop and down a nearby alley.
Similar queues were seen inside the store just over two weeks ago as shoppers queued to get their last minute shopping done before the closure of non-essential retail.
By 11am, the high street was full of people carrying shopping bags and the Primark queue continued to grow.
Owners of Welsh businesses, which include bars, restaurants and cafes, said they were happy to be back after a difficult period under lockdown, and hoped returning shoppers would provide a timely boost for their trade.
Tom Morgan, 26, who co-owns the Pitch Bar and Eatery in Cardiff’s Mill Lane area, said: “We’re excited to be able to be back open for our customers. It’s been difficult, particularly as we were waiting quite a while for the finalised advice from the Welsh Government, which only came out on Friday.”
Mr Morgan said he was “nervous”
about the potential for another lockdown in future, but said he was optimistic trade would be allowed to pick back up before Christmas.
“It won’t be the same, Christmas party bookings are a no-go. But we expect the walk-up trade to be a lot better,” he said.
Under Wales’ new rules, groups of up to four people from different households are allowed in hospitality settings together, while customers must provide proof of their home address in an attempt to curb people from England travelling to Wales while the English lockdown is in place.
Paul Bainton, 68, owner of Le Rendez-Vous coffee shop in Queens Arcade, said he was expecting trade to pick up from before the firebreak, when local lockdowns across Wales restricted access into the capital.
“I think it’ll be better than it was pre-lockdown, when all the different areas were under local lockdown, because for us that was tough,” he said.
“It was frustrating going back into lockdown, but then I think it’s something that had to be done because, obviously, cases were going up.
“They’re talking about the fact that they’ve almost got a vaccine ready to go. So maybe it’ll be springtime next year when things are really looking up. We hope so, if we survive that long.”
Yesterday afternoon, First Minister Mark Drakeford told the Welsh Government’s press briefing in Cardiff he was not surprised shoppers had immediately flocked back to the city centre, and said he had been informed retailers were managing the situation well.
He added: “The reports that I’ve had are that it’s being well managed, that these are retail outlets that have made a big effort to make sure that queues are managed, that people coming in and out of shops are properly controlled and that people themselves are doing all the things they can do in observing social distancing and being respectful of other people.
“Our chief medical officer often says that it’s what people do when they get somewhere, rather than the fact that they’re going shopping by itself, that is not necessarily a difficulty.
“It’s how people behave when they make those choices and provided people are behaving in a way that does not put themselves and others at risk, then I think the fact that people want to do some things today that they’ve not been able to do for over two weeks wouldn’t be that surprising to anyone.”