Department store chain Fenwick has announced it is ready to reopen to customers next month, more than 12 weeks after shuttings its high street shops to keep staff and customers safe.
The North East firm, which has nine stores around the country including its flagship shop on Newcastle’s Northumberland Street, closed its stores on March 19 following guidance from the Government.
Now the company, which also closed its website service for several weeks, is preparing to welcome visitors to its stores from June 15, as long as the updated Government guidance surrounding non-essential retailers remains in place.
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Fenwick’s website, which was only launched in the last year, had been forced to close six days after its shops closed, with the firm saying staff would have to go on to shop floors to fulfill orders and they couldn’t safely do so. CEO John Edgar said online trading had been strong since the site started up again last month.
He added: “Understandably we, like many other businesses, have to remain flexible given the current pandemic.
“We are ready and prepared to open our physical stores as soon as the Government allows us to, in the meantime our online platform is open and continues to trade strongly.
“The safety of our customers, our teams and our local communities is our absolute priority and we have been working diligently in making our stores compliant with government guidelines for reopening whilst still giving our customers a truly Fenwick experience."
Full details of measures Fenwick is taking in stores to ensure it is fully compliant with the Government guidelines will be revealed soon.
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Meanwhile, John Lewis has said it will also reopen its first two department stores on June 15 with new social distancing measures in place to protect shoppers and staff.
The historic retailer said it will then reopen a further 11 stores on June 18 as part of a phased reopening plan, but its Newcastle store is not on either list.
John Lewis’ stores in Poole and Kingston will be the first two sites to swing their doors back open. They will be followed by: Bluewater, Cambridge, Cheadle, Cheltenham, High Wycombe, Horsham, Ipswich, Norwich, Nottingham, Solihull and Welwyn.
It said it plans to reopen more stores “throughout the summer” depending on how customers and staff respond to the first openings.
A very different shopping experience awaits customers compared to before the lockdown, with new measures including the closure of fitting rooms and in-store cafes until further notice.The number of entrances will be reduced and a cap on the number of shoppers in its stores will also be brought in.