From next Monday, June 15th, clothing retailers are allowed to reopen their stores.
Like most industries, fashion retailers have been hit by the coronavirus crisis. Next saw sales decrease by 32%. M&S has continued to keep their food departments open, but areas in its shops that sell clothes have been blocked off.
Many retailers, such as Crew Clothing and Joules, survived by expanding their online sales operations. There has been a demand for heavy duty garment rails and other warehouse equipment to store the increased number of clothing lines available for online sales.
Not all clothing stores will reopen next Monday, however, with many retailers phasing their store openings over several weeks to give them time to implement safety procedures, including social distancing and supplying staff with PPE. Joules chief executive Nick Jor said:
“As you would expect, and as has been the case throughout this challenging period, our top priority as we begin the phased reopening of our stores from 15 June is the continued safety of our customers and colleagues”
Joules is limiting how many customers are allowed in its stores at the same time, and is providing hand sanitizers at store entrances.
Next is also phasing its store openings, with larger out-of-town stores being opened first. These outlets have space for wide aisles and can easily manage queues of customers waiting to go inside
To encourage customers to return to clothes shopping, most retailers are expected to hold a reopening sale, with many top brands offering 50% off some items.
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