The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Long queues as high street stores welcome back eager shoppers
Lengthy queues and a lack of distancing at the Nike Town store in London, with some jostling as the doors open
Customers turned out in force as England’s retail parks, high streets and shopping centres reopened after a three-month shutdown, with footfall rising by almost half on last week.
Lengthy queues of often-masked shoppers formed, many well before opening times, across the country’s major cities as people stepped out to bag a bargain or browse the rails for the first time since lockdown.
Shoppers have been encouraged to be sensible and adhere to new hygiene measures and social distancing, with a government minister saying they are beginning to reopen the economy “gradually and carefully”.
While shoppers generally appeared to be keeping to the two-metre distancing rule as they queued, there were images of a tightly-packed crowd outside the Nike Town store on London’s Oxford Street.
One customer described it as being “a little bit crowded”, but told the PA news agency that staff “did all they could to put the measures in place and keep it under control”.
Long lines were seen at Primark stores across the country, with dozens of keen shoppers waiting outside branches in Birmingham, Derby, Liverpool and Nottingham.
Despite the large queues, results of YouGov polling carried out earlier this month suggested just 40% of people were comfortable to go back into clothes shops, and only 48% think they would be able to stay the required two metres away from other shoppers.
Some 41% of people said they believe it is about the right time for the shops to reopen, but 39% said it was too soon.
Oliver Rowe, director of reputation research at YouGov – which carried out four surveys between June 2 and 11 on between 1,700 and 4,000 people – said the results show “there is a lot of work to be done yet to convince shoppers that it’s business as usual”.
Figures released yesterday afternoon showed that the morning’s footfall was up by almost half on last week.
Total retail footfall across high streets, shopping centres and retail parks in England up until midday increased by 41.7% in comparison to last week, the latest data from retail experts Springboard indicated.
Footfall across all retail destinations in England is around a third less than on the same day last year, the organisation said.
Shoppers described returning to stores as “a delight” and a “wonderful freedom”.
“There’s a lot of work to be done yet to convince shoppers”
People heading into the Apple store on Regent Street in central London had their temperatures checked and were told they must wear face coverings when inside.
Small Business Minister Paul Scully insisted it is safe to shop, noting the new looks many stores will have as they attempt to ensure social distancing and good hygiene among staff and customers.
Commuters were pictured wearing masks at stations and on trains and buses across the country as face coverings on public transport became mandatory.
Zoos and safari parks were also welcoming back visitors for the first time since March.
With official figures showing the economy shrank by a fifth in April, ministers are desperate to get businesses going again to stave off another wave of job losses.