Wigan businesses prepare to welcome back customers within weeks

Many traders had to shut up shop and thousands of workers were furloughed when the Government announced lockdown measures due to the coronavirus pandemic in March.

Just five businesses remained open in the Grand Arcade shopping centre and the streets of the town centre were no longer bustling with shoppers.

But preparations are now being made for a host of “non-essential” businesses to reopen their doors to customers.

The Government has unveiled a full list of retailers that can open under new guidelines, with fashion stores, betting shops and charity stores all allowed to welcome back customers from June 15.

That was welcome news for John Sanson, manager of the Grand Arcade, who was already making preparations ahead of a provisional June 1 re-opening, as previously announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Mr Sanson said: “We are already partway through marking out the floor in 2m distance queueing systems, keeping apart lifts and escalators, and things like that. We thought we had to be doing that for June 1.

“For June 15, that gives us a little more time to get things in place, but obviously all the individual retailers have to have their own social distancing and queueing systems within each individual unit.

“We are talking to them and I think what we will find is not all the retailers will suddenly spark up on June 1. With fashion businesses, when they closed up in March it was winter/spring stock in there and when it re-opens it will be summer/autumn stuff because there are no summer holidays. Even with the decision for June 15, I think a lot of the retailers will keep staff on furlough, bringing them back on or near June 15 and maybe re-opening later that week or the week after. They have to clean the unit, put up their signage and put social distancing in place.”

The Grand Arcade will have one-way systems in place for shoppers, as well as markings to help people keep their distance from each other and hand sanitiser will be available.

Since the lockdown was imposed, the toilets have been closed and the benches and children’s rides have been removed.

Mr Sanson thinks people may be wary of visiting shops at first, after only being able to leave home for a few select purposes, but he hopes they will return.

Businesses in the Grand Arcade are not the only ones getting ready to reopen in Wigan.

Gallimore’s restaurant, on The Wiend, is going to open for takeaway meals only, serving dishes from Fridays to Sundays.

Papa Luigi’s, on Wigan Lane, will also open for takeaways from June 4, following the success of the same service at their Euxton restaurant.

Wigan Council has not yet confirmed if it will be reopening its indoor and outdoor markets next month.

On March 23, the Government said only retailers deemed “essential” - which included supermarkets and grocery stores, pharmacies, banks, hardware stores, petrol stations, vets and pet stores, food markets and bike shops - could remain open.

Restaurants, pubs and cafes were all forced to shut their doors to customers as part of the lockdown, but remained able to serve takeaway food to customers in line with social distancing measures and deliver takeaways.

Some businesses, including garden centres, have recently been allowed to re-open, with more now allowed to trade from June 15.

They include: fashion shops; charity shops; betting shops and arcades; tailors, dress fitters and fashion designers; car dealerships; auction houses; antique stores; retail art galleries; photography studios; gift shops and retail spaces in theatres, museums, libraries, heritage sites and tourism sites; mobile phone stores; indoor and outdoor markets; and craft fairs.

Before reopening, bosses must consider who is essential to be on the premises, plan for the minimum number of people needed on site and keep across the mental and physical well-being of staff.

Ministers have stressed the date could change if reductions in coronavirus infections fail to meet expectations.

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