Screens and one-way systems: UK retailers prepare to reopen

Many non-essential shopping chains are preparing to let customers back into stores as the Covid-19 lockdown eases.

Outdoor non-food markets and car showrooms were allowed to reopen from Monday 1 June. From Monday 15 June, a much broader range of retailers will open their doors again, including clothes shops, toy stores, electronics retailers, booksellers, indoor markets, shoe shops, tailors, auction houses and photography studios.

Retailers reopening are adapting their stores to abide by government Covid-19 social distancing and health and safety guidelines.

Following the example of lockdown procedures already introduced by supermarkets, DIY chains and furniture retailers, these measures include limiting the number of shoppers in store with queuing systems, as well as installing plastic screens at tills and supplying face masks and other PPE to staff.

Other measures include closed changing rooms, one-way systems on the shop floor, restrictions on touching merchandise and quarantining products that customers pick up and then return to shelves. Government guidance also requires goods returned to stores to be quarantined for up to 72 hours before being returned to store shelves. The precise detail of these measures may vary between different retail chains and types of store.

You can read the latest government coronavirus guidance for shops (published 29 May) here, and for food takeaway and delivery outlets (published 29 May) here.

Here is a list of shop and restaurant chains that have confirmed plans to reopen:

Clothing and fashion stores reopening from 15 June

• Next (25 stores)

• Debenhams (90 stores)

General/other retail reopening from 15 June

Takeaway/Food to Go already reopened

• Five Guys (47 open)

Furniture and homewares already reopened

• Ikea (19 stores open)

• DFS (91 stores open)

• Dunelm (39 stores open)

DIY/gardening already reopened

• B&Q (all 288 stores)

• Wickes (all 22o stores)

• Dobbies (54 stores)

Other chains already open

• Matalan (15 open)

• Halfords (53 open)

Read the original article at The Guardian