The Bridges set to give a boost to shoppers

The Bridges shopping centre has announced plans for extended opening hours when lockdown is lifted next week.

From Thursday, December 3, stores in the centre will be open until 7pm Monday to Saturday – with late night shopping until 8pm resuming on Thursday evenings.

The aim is to give retailers the chance to make up for lost sales during the November lockdown, but to also make social distancing easier for customers by having longer opening hours.

Centre bosses have said that the majority of shops are supporting the late night trading initiative, including Primark, Boots, Next, Pandora and The Perfume Shop to name a few.

Karen Eve, the centre director at the Bridges explained that the decision comes from a consultations with both customers and retailers over Christmas shopping. She said: “It’s clear that customers still want to shop for Christmas. They want to experience the buzz of being out browsing for those special gifts, they want to see beautiful decorations, hear festive music and plan for a happy Christmas break.

“Extending the opening hours will help retailers make up for missed sales, but will also mean that shoppers can plan their shopping trips and avoid the busiest time of the day.

“Safety is still very much a high priority at the Bridges and we hope that this move will ensure everyone can still enjoy the shopping experience but in a socially distanced way.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed on Monday that all non-essential shops can reopen from next week – even those in areas with the highest rates of Covid-19 infections.