Friends reunited

High streets reopen for business

IT WAS a case of ‘friends reunited’ as many high street reopened for the first time since the Covid-19 lockdown. This was evidenced by the heartwarming stories of shop staff returning to work and being reacquainted with their loyal customers.

It did feel like a significant step on Britain’s very tentative road to recovery – even though it would be naive of the Government to expect a sales frenzy when the economic outlook is so foreboding. And while the queues outside some department stores were significant, it is the small independent shops – the lifeblood of every high street – who will struggle more than most.

With little room inside their premises, a consequence of social distancing protocols is that some will not receive the volume of customers that they need to survive.

Some will need continuing financial assistance – and it would be in the Government’s best interests to look at this specific area of policy rather than forcing through the liberalisation of Sunday trading laws and, in doing so, enabling the major superstores and online retailers to reassert their dominance.

The reason is this. Every store closure will leave another empty building which, in turn, risks becoming a symbol of decay and decline unless an alternative use can be quickly found.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak conceded, fairly, at the weekend that his Covid-19 packages of support had not benefitted every intended recipient. He can begin his overhaul by seeing if anything more can be done to assist those successful small shops whose cashflow has been compromised.