Coronavirus UK: Reopened shops to have one-way walking systems

Customers will soon enter a world of one-way systems and quarantined footwear when non-essential stores in Britain are allowed to reopen next month – but retail experts fear they may be too scared to return.

Thousands of shops, department stores and shopping centres can open from June 15, while outdoor markets and car showrooms will be allowed to open from next Monday as coronavirus lockdown restrictions are eased.

But things will look very different in the revamped stores, with checkouts behind screens, toilets and changing rooms closed, a limit on the number of customers allowed inside the store at any time and no seating available.

Stores will also feature markings outside to assist with socially-distanced queuing and encourage customers to shop alone where possible, according to union-backed guidance issued by the British Retail Consortium.

Retailers are gearing up for what has been dubbed the ‘sale of the century’ with about £15billion worth of stock available after clothing stores shut their doors just days after filling their rails with spring and summer fashion.

Marks & Spencer and Next are among the retailers expected to promote huge discounts, with warehouse storage space 90 per cent full for some outlets who have resorted to putting products in containers on railway sidings.

It comes as: 

  • Bosses of shopping centres said they were better placed to ensure social distancing than narrow high streets; 
  • Car dealerships – which will open on June 1 reported a ‘considerable’ rise in online sales during the lockdown;
  • Aldi supermarket bosses are putting traffic lights at store entrances as a new way of limiting shopper numbers; 
  • Stores continued to provide hints of mass clearance sales to deal with warehouses full of unsold stock;
  • Retail experts said consumers were still concerned about travelling to big shopping centres post-lockdown;
  • Ministers were accused of rushing out the shops strategy to deflect from criticism over Dominic Cummings’s apparent breach of lockdown rules;
  • Two thirds of Germans do not expect the economy to recover in the next 12 months, suggesting Europeans are holding on to their money rather than going out and spending it.

Retail analyst Catherine Shuttleworth, from the Savvy marketing agency, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning: ‘It is fine saying the stores can open, but are we going to have the appetite to go back?

This graphic shows some of the changes that may be made to ensure reopening stores can minimise the spread of the virus

‘What we’ve seen during the lockdown is that people have shopped locally a bit more often. I think people will be concerned about going into big centres, places where they’ve got to get transport.

‘We’ve been really quite pleased with the way that we’ve been able to get our non-food items online – and online sales have gone through the roof.

Which shops will be opening – and what places will stay shut? 

Still open 

  • Supermarkets
  • Pharmacies
  • Garden centres 
  • Takeaway/delivery food outlets 

June 1

  • Outdoor markets
  • Car showrooms

June 15

  • Indoor markets 
  • Clothing and shoe shops
  • Toy stores
  • Bookshops 
  • Furniture shops 
  • Electronics stores
  • Photography studios 
  • Tailors
  • Auction houses 

Staying shut for now

  • Restaurants, bars and pubs
  • Cafes and canteens
  • Holiday accommodation such as hotels and B&Bs
  • Hairdressers, barbers, beauty and nail salons
  • Playgrounds, outdoor gyms and outdoor pools 
  • Piercing and tattoo parlours 
  • Caravan parks (commercial)
  • Libraries
  • Community centres
  • Places of worship
  • Museums and galleries
  • Nightclubs
  • Cinemas, theatres and concert halls
  • Bingo halls, casinos and betting shops
  • Spas and massage parlours
  • Skating rinks and funfairs
  • Indoor fitness studios, gyms and swimming pools
  • Indoor arcades, bowling alleys and soft play centres

‘Shopping is a social, fun experience a lot of the time and social distancing takes that away. It’s going to be a very different way of shopping from what we’re used to.’

Some retailers could follow Aldi, which is putting traffic lights at store entrances as a new way of limiting shopper numbers. Customers can enter when the lights turn from red to green, which will open the automatic doors. 

The lights will roll out across Britain this week after a trial in ten branches. The supermarket is encouraging emergency service workers to go to the front of the queue, and asking other customers to respect this priority.

Many outlets will also be expected to provide cleaning stations at the front of store including hand sanitiser, disinfectant wipes for basket handles and the regularl cleaning of key touch points such as handrails.

Other safety measures include storing returned items for 72 hours before putting them back on the shop floor, and placing protective coverings on large items touched by the public such as beds or sofas.

The Government said non-essential shops including those selling clothes, shoes, toys, furniture, books and electronics can open on June 15, along with tailors, auction houses, photography studios and indoor markets.

Businesses will only be able to open once they have completed a risk assessment. Spot checks will be carried out and local authorities will work with the Government to ensure complaints by the public are followed up on.

Announcing the measures last night, Mr Johnson said he was hoping for an economic ‘bounce back’. He said: ‘I want to give the retail sector notice of our intentions to reopen shops, so they too can get ready.

‘It is very early days but we are very much hoping there will be a bounce back over the course of the next few months.’

He said the UK was coming to a ‘difficult change of gears’ and that it was ‘absolutely vital’ members of the public maintained social distancing. 

Shops must meet guidelines to protect shoppers and workers, Mr Johnson added.

He warned that powers were in place to enforce action if shops did not adhere to guidelines, including fines and jail sentences of up to two years.

Uniformed doormen wear personal protective equipement outside an entrance to Fortnum & Mason department store in London's Piccadilly last Thursday after it opened two Food Halls to customers as the lockdown restrictions are eased

Uniformed doormen wear personal protective equipement outside an entrance to Fortnum & Mason department store in London’s Piccadilly last Thursday after it opened two Food Halls to customers as the lockdown restrictions are eased

Business Secretary Alok Sharma said: ‘Enabling these businesses to open will be a critical step on the road to rebuilding our economy and will support millions of jobs across the UK. 

Aldi launches traffic light system for socially distanced shopping 

Customers at Aldi will be told when they can safely enter one of its supermarkets by a new traffic light system installed by the doors.

The company said that the traffic light system would help to continue social distancing in stores by ensuring too many customers are not jostling for space in the aisles. The system will be extended after Aldi trialled it in stores.

‘The protection and safety of our customers and employees is our top priority and this new system is an accurate and effective way to allow us to control customer numbers in stores,’ said Aldi communications director Richard Thornton.

‘The system’s trial was well received by our customers and we will be gradually rolling this new social distancing measure out nationwide from this week.’

Like many other supermarkets, Aldi has already installed protective screens at its checkouts and put markers on the floors of the shops to encourage customers to stay more than two metres away from each other.

It has also put up ‘sanitation stations’ and signs with advice on how to stay safe from coronavirus while shopping.

The German discount supermarket chain has 875 stores across Britain and employs 33,000 people. It plans to have expanded to 1,200 stores by the middle of the decade.

‘The guidance we have set out today provides a vital framework to get shops open in a way that is safe for everyone.’

Josh Hardie, CBI deputy director general, said: ‘Our shops are doing all they can to keep the public and their staff safe, and we’ve seen many retailers leading from the front with innovative solutions to do just that.

‘As more and more businesses turn their attention to reopening, this guidance will help them plan to do so safely and securely.’

Andrew Goodacre, chief executive of the British Independent Retailers Association, said: ‘This guidance will ensure that independent retailers provide safe environments for employees and customers.’

Hairdressers, nail bars and beauty salons, and the hospitality sector will remain closed due to there being a greater risk of transmission due to prolonged person-to-person contact, a Government spokesman said.

At yesterday’s Cabinet meeting the PM reportedly said garden parties and BBQs with limited numbers could be allowed at the end of next month.

This would be accompanied by several preconditions but could be part of a move to allow people to mix in ‘social bubbles’ of up to ten people outdoors.

A No 10 source said on Sunday that the UK still had some way to go before ‘social bubbles’ were allowed.

National Trust parks will also be allowed to reopen but their indoor spaces will have to remain shut, it is understood.

A major part of phase two is the gradual reopening of schools, which the PM has confirmed will go ahead despite opposition from the unions.

The test and trace system is set to launch at the end of this week, which the Government hopes will enable them to ease lockdown restrictions further. 

From quarantining returned items to keeping shoppers two metres apart … how the post-lockdown era will look in shops across Britain 

OUTSIDE SHOPS – Separate entrance/exits, temporary barriers, floor markings for safe queuing and staff controlling how many people enter stores

Shoppers will be greeted by a very different exterior to many shops in Britain next month, with markings expected to be placed outside all stores – similar to those seen at supermarkets in recent months – to assist with queuing.

A limited number of separate entry and exit points are also being considered, which will also help staff keep on top of the number of customers in the store at any one time to ensure social distancing. 

Shops will have to calculate the number of shoppers who can reasonably follow the two-metre rule, based on the size of their store and its layout – with clear signage expected to be placed outside shops to explain this.

Apple employees manage a socially-distanced queue outside a store in Sydney, Australia, on May 20 after shops reopened

Apple employees manage a socially-distanced queue outside a store in Sydney, Australia, on May 20 after shops reopened

Staff will also have to control how many people are entering – and may need to have a Security Industry Authority licence to help manage this. Temporary barriers may also be required to stop people joining a queue.

Nearby shops will also have to work together to manage possible shared queuing areas in busier parts of towns and cities, and encourage customers to shop alone if they can – while noting this is not always possible. 

Scott Parsons, the manager of Westfield’s UK shopping centres, said they were better placed than narrow high streets to cope with large customer numbers because people can spread out.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘We’ve got digital football trackers so we can safely manage crowds as they enter and exit we can impose one way systems and markings on the pavements.’

INSIDE STORES – Hand sanitisers for customers, one-way systems around shops, wiping down basket handles, closing cafes and keeping toilets shut

Ensuring good hygiene and cleaning will be a major part of the reopening plan for shops across Britain, with provision of cleaning stations at the front of the store set to include hand sanitiser for customers.

Workers will also provide disinfectant wipes or spray and tissues for trolley and basket handles, while they will also regularly clean key ‘touch points’ such as door handles, lift buttons, keypads and stair or escalator handrails. 

Shoppers will see floor markings to help them comply with the two-metre social distancing rules, with stores advised to place these particularly in the most crowded areas and where queueing is expected.

Floor markers have been set up inside an Apple store in Sydney, Australia, on May 20 to ensure shoppers maintain a distance

Floor markers have been set up inside an Apple store in Sydney, Australia, on May 20 to ensure shoppers maintain a distance 

There will also be clear signage in stores reminding customers of these measures, while staff will look at the layout of their stores to ensure aisles and walkways can be kept as clear as possible to ensure social distancing.

Workers could also remove promotional fixtures to help people keep apart, and consider implementing one-way systems using floor markings and signage, as well as making regular announcements to people to follow the rules.

Shops will also have to consider whether it is safe to keep customer toilets open or only on request. If open, they should ensure regular cleaning on multi-person touch points such as door handles, flushes and taps. 

Baby changing facilities should be kept available but with a higher frequency of cleaning, while cafes and restaurants will have to stay closed unless they are offering hot or cold food to be consumed off the premises.  

TRYING ON ITEMS – Changing rooms closed, footwear quarantined if not bought and returns stored for 72 hours before being put back on display

Shops will consider keeping their changing rooms closed, although if not they should have a worker in place at all times to ensure customers maintain social distancing. Seating will be removed or limited but spaced out in stores.

If products are provided in store to try before buying, such as TVs, headphones or PCs, companies are being urged to consuder if it is better for staff to demonstrate these instead of customers touching the item.

Services which require direct physical interaction with customers such as make-up or nail bars will not return yet, although specialised advice can be provided if staff follow hygiene and social distancing protocols.

Spray and wipe wielding cleaners are now located throughout stores in Australia, including at this Apple store in Sydney

Spray and wipe wielding cleaners are now located throughout stores in Australia, including at this Apple store in Sydney

Stores which help customers with large or heavy purchases should also they cannot help customers take this to their car – although if they do, they should give correct protection and advice for it to be done safely.

Shoe shops will ‘quarantine’ any footwear which is tried on but not bought to make sure they meet the rules on keeping customers safe, with Kurt Geiger saying it would bring in the rules to open shops next month.

Customers will also be asked to wear disposable ‘pop’ socks before trying on shoes in some stores. Any items not bought will be put in isolated storage for at least 24 hours before going back on display. 

In addition, shops will be expected to store returned items for 72 hours before putting them back on the shop floor, and placing protective coverings on large items touched by the public such as beds or sofas. 

This follows similar moves from Waterstones, which has said it will quarantine books handled by customers for 72 hours, and John Lewis, which has said it will quarantine clothes that shoppers try on. 

Cabinet Office Michael Gove said today that customers will have to ‘exercise restraint’ by not trying on clothing and testing goods when stores reopen, telling BBC Breakfast that shopping habits will have to change.

He said: ‘It is a new normal, but it will allow us to ensure there are a wider range of goods and will also ensure the economy can return to a new normal, that is absolutely vital for people’s jobs.’

Robert Forrester, chief executive of car dealership Vertu Motors, said his firm has set up new safety measures at showrooms. He told BBC Breakfast: ‘When you actually go for a test drive, you will be the only person in the car. 

‘We trust the vast majority of our customers to do the right thing. There are a lot of changes in how we sell cars. People are doing far more on the internet. Our online sales have gone up quite considerably over the period.’

AT THE CHECKOUT – Plastic screens for cashiers, opening every other till point and asking customers to avoid cash when paying

Shops will erect physical barriers at till points using flexiplastic to provide a barrier for those working on the tills, and every over till point will be closed if they are located near each other.

Non-essential doors will be left open to minimise the number of people who touch them – although this does not apply to fire doors, while stores will look at limiting the number of people in enclosed spaces such as lifts.

Shoppers speak to a worker behind a protective screen at the checkout of a B&Q store in Chiswick, West London, on April 30

Shoppers speak to a worker behind a protective screen at the checkout of a B&Q store in Chiswick, West London, on April 30 

Customer order collection points will be set up to ensure people stay two metres apart with floor markings or a limit on the number of those allowed to wait – while product demonstrations will also now be unlikely to happen.  

Stores will also encourage cashless purchases, and any self-checkout touchscreens or keypads should be wiped between each use to minimise the risk of customers transfering the virus between each other.

From Portuguese staff in PPE to queues outside Italian fashion stores… but retail data shows customers are wary about racing back into stores

The UK is lagging behind most other European countries when it comes to opening shops – with Italy, Spain, France and Germany reopening most retail businesses earlier this month, along with many smaller nations.

While measures vary by country, common rules include requiring shops to maintain social distance between customers and giving owners a right to refuse entry to anyone not wearing a mask. 

Here is what some major economies are doing to reopen their retail sector:

ITALY – Reopened shops on May 18

Italy’s shops, hairdressers and restaurants opened just over a week ago as the country tries to bounce back from a ten-week lockdown. Here is what the shopping experience is now like for Italians:

  • Employees and customers in shops are generally wearing gloves and masks, while businesses have been told to limit the number of people inside the store at any one time.
  • Shops are installing hand sanitiser as a safety measure, but this is not a requirement. Some stores are seeing employees stagger their arrival and departure times and avoid congregating in areas where they can store personal items.
  • The Government has aimed to give advice to businesses rather than imposing strict requirements, with companies allowed to choose whether they put into place any one-way systems in aisles.
  • Shops are also free to decide whether they want also choose to put up glass barriers at checkouts or give staff plastic visors to cover their face.
  • Footfall is down, but Italy-based Matteo Sinigaglia, chief executive of denim label Replay has said conversion is now higher, telling Drapers: ‘People who are going to stores are going to buy: they’re not window shopping.’ 
Customers wait in line in front of a Zara in Rome yesterday. Museums, restaurants, bars, cafes and hairdressers have reopened in Italy

Customers wait in line in front of a Zara in Rome yesterday. Museums, restaurants, bars, cafes and hairdressers have reopened in Italy

AUSTRALIA – Reopened shops on May 4

Retailers in Australia started to reopen their stores earlier this month following a five-week shutdown in the country that finished earlier than expected.

  • Employees at stores are immediately disinfecting surfaces as soon as someone leaves an area that they have touched
  • Hand sanitiser stalls at store entrances, with long queues seen thanks to social distancing rules
  • Outside every store are floor markings to ensure customers remain at least 1.5 metres apart, with the same markings present at queues for the registers.
  • At make-up stores such as Sephora and Mecca, customers are also required to have their temperatures taken before they can enter. Anyone with a fever is turned away.
  • Customers at Apple stores have been handed blue face masks to wear, and turned away if they refused to put one on.
In Australia on May 20, a worker at Mecca Maxima checks the temperature of a customer before they were allowed to enter

In Australia on May 20, a worker at Mecca Maxima checks the temperature of a customer before they were allowed to enter

PORTUGAL – Reopened shops on May 4

Portugal allowed small stores to reopen from the start of May, although larger stores will have to wait until June 1.

Small street shops, hairdressers, bookstores and car dealerships were the first to reopen, before restaurants reopened on May 18 with capacity limited to 50 per cent.

Larger stores, shopping centres and cinemas will then reopen from June 1. Here are some of the measures put in place to protect customers in stores:

  • The use of face masks is mandatory in shops and supermarkets, as well as on public transport and services
  • The Government has told customers they should wait for their turn if queuing outside stores while socially distanced
  • Restaurants, cafes, bakeries and outdoor terraces are only allowed to open with a 50 per cent capacity and until 11pm
  • Shop staff in Lisbon have been seen wearing full private protective equipment and standing behind protective shields
  • People can be fined up to €350 if they are caught not wearing a face mask in shops 
A grocery store worker wears a mask as he shows dried cod fish to a costumer wearing an acrylic shield in Lisbon on May 4

A grocery store worker wears a mask as he shows dried cod fish to a costumer wearing an acrylic shield in Lisbon on May 4

GERMANY – Reopened shops on May 6

Germany’s shops were given the go-ahead by Chancellor Angela Merkel to open on May 6, with stores imposing various steps to prevent the spread of the virus:

  • The 16 federal states took control of timing the reopening of stores, with restaurants in Berlin opening on May 15
  • Menus have been disinfected and there is no salt and pepper allowed on tables in restaurants
  • Most states are asking people to wear face masks or coverings while in shops, grocery stores, and shopping malls

Long queues were pictured outside German garden centres shortly after they reopened.

However, the latest Eurostat data suggests this was largely due to social distancing limiting the number of people allowed inside at one time, and not because stores were busier than usual for the time of year.

A survey of German business owners in May found confidence among retailers had improved considerably from record-lows in April as lockdown measures were eased, but were still far below average – indicating that there has been no sudden rush back to the shops.

Meanwhile a separate survey showed that a third of Germans still fear being infected by coronavirus despite the country having one of the lowest death-tolls in Europe, providing one possible explanation for why shoppers have stayed indoors.

Two thirds of Germans said they did not expect the economy to recover in the next 12 months, suggesting another reason that people are holding on to their money rather than spending it.

Shoppers walk along the Spitaler Strasse shopping street in Hamburg, Germany, on May 23, where shops have reopened

Shoppers walk along the Spitaler Strasse shopping street in Hamburg, Germany, on May 23, where shops have reopened