Shoppers hit high streets as doors open at stores

■ Customers queue for hours after three-month closure ■ Shopping centres report successful reopening

SHOPPERS WORE masks and sanitised their hands but still hoped that a return to retail therapy would help them “feel normal again” as they hit Yorkshire’s reopened high streets.

Lines of customers eager to buy clothes, shoes and other items formed early around England.

Department stores and high street shops are welcoming shoppers back for the first time in three months, and many have a new look with more spacious floor plans, limited numbers of customers and signage reminding people to stay two metres apart.

Major shopping centres and outlets in Yorkshire’s largest city were no exception as people queued for hours in Leeds city centre before stores opened.

Trinity Leeds, Victoria Leeds and the White Rose Centre, which is in the south of the city, said the first day back at work for almost three months had been a success.

Centre director of Trinity, David Maddison said the busiest shops were the Apple Store, Next, Boots and Primark.

Speaking as the shopping day drew to a close he said: “Trinity has been really successful in comparison to all our centres. We are up there with the front runners and we are really pleased about that. I have been here since 7am and it has been non-stop. We had queues, particularly for Primark first thing this morning and they are still queuing now.

“It is great to see and great to get back to retail. When I was driving to work I had a smile on my face thinking we are getting back to what we should be doing. We are playing the game today.”

Around 60 per cent of the units were open with the ones remaining closed being ones that are not allowed to re-open yet such as bars and restaurants.

Mr Maddison added that he expects footfall to increase steadily as customer confidence increases and that there will be a second phase of shoppers when the food and drink outlets open again.

Primark had queues that went from the Trinity Leeds entrance on Albion Street to Bond Street.

Rachel Barker, 52, from Bradford, said: “It has got to be the worst queue in Leeds, it is certainly the busiest.

“There’s nothing in particular I want from Primark, I just wanted to feel a bit normal again after months of not being able to go anywhere or do anything. I don’t want to spend too much, I just needed to get out really. It is just that sense of feeling like we are slowly getting back to normal.”

Sports Direct was also very busy, with long queues.

Mohammed Askari, 28, from Leeds, said: “I’m in the queue because I want to exchange my shoes. I bought them the day before lockdown and I want to

There’s nothing I want to buy, I just wanted to feel normal again.

Rachel Barker, 52, from Bradford.

know if they accept exchanges. I’ve been waiting three months to change them. That’s the only reason I am in town today.

“I wasn’t expecting this level of queues. I have been queuing for 70 minutes and I’m only half way.”

Steven Foster, director, of the White Rose Centre, said: “It has been a great day. I am delighted to say that the re-opening has gone really well. We have got 60 per cent of all our units open and we are really pleased to see so many people want to support retailers.”

Jo Coburn, general manager at Victoria Leeds, said: “We’ve been working hard behind the scenes for the past few months to get everything ready, and we’ve introduced a range of measures to keep everyone safe. We know that this new way of shopping is going to take some getting used to, but it was brilliant to see Victoria Leeds and Leeds open for business again.”