Shop owners in city’s arcades at breaking point
ONE of Cardiff’s most popular and busy arcades is preparing for life after lockdown.
Businesses at Morgan Arcade have suffered and some have lost millions of pounds in a bruising year. Some business owners have had to drain their life savings to keep their firms running.
The arcades in Cardiff are usually busy with people from all over Wales shopping to see what the capital’s independent businesses have to offer.
However, many shop owners are unsure how the future will look as some haven’t returned to work in more than three months. One business still has its Christmas decorations up.
Supermarkets and shops which were already open in Wales were able to take down the tape which has covered non-essential items for months as March 22 marked the beginning of the phased reopening of non-essential retail.
All other shops have been given a date of April 12 when they will be allowed to re-open – the same date as England – with the announcement expected to be confirmed in Friday’s lockdown review.
Russell Scott-Lawson, owner of Hawkes Bespoke outfitters, has adapted his business to sell online but said the experience isn’t the same. He worries that if there is another lockdown he will have to shut up shop.
He said: “We’ve lost £1.5m in turnover and the only reason the business is still running is because I had enough money to pay for stock.
“If we are put through any more lockdowns it’ll be the end of us. We did start selling online and we did try to adapt the business but due to the nature of our business it’s been tough.
“The average price of a pair of our jeans are £200, shoes are £400, and you wouldn’t buy these items online if you didn’t know the fit. Our business is all about the premium product, delivery, service which you can’t provide online. I’ve spent 25 years building a business in an area that’s been destroyed.
“Shutting streets and main entrances to the city centre like Castle Street is galactically stupid. I’m seriously contemplating moving to a small town somewhere that is more peoplefriendly.
“If there’s another lockdown I’ll seek legal advice as to whether or not I have to shut.
“It’s my legal right and I’ve got kids to feed. I pay £50,000 a year just to open the door of that shop.
“It won’t just be me that will close if there’s another lockdown but the city centre will end. There’s already a monumental decline of footfall in Cardiff and that’ll be it.
“Retail is hard work, it’s blood, sweat and tears, and when all that hard work is taken from you it’s catastrophic.”
Karen Marin Reyes opened La Vida Travel in Cardiff in January 2020. She said the phones have been going crazy with people looking to book this year.
Although she is hopeful that travel will go ahead Karen has used all of her life savings to sustain the business. The travel agency had to cancel £48,000 of bookings in one day last summer.