Plymouth’s huge Drake Circus Shopping Centre will fully reopen on April 12 as the Government confirms the country will move into Step 2 of its roadmap out of lockdown.
Bosses at the British Land-owned mall, one of he largest in the South West, have confirmed that “non-essential”stores such as JD Sports, Primark and New Look will be open once again.
And Lush has confirmed it is reopening its branch in the mall, one of 88 shops and six Lush Spas in England and Wales, which are restarting with new product launches and a new plastic packaging returns scheme. All shops will reopen with fresh handmade stock that is only days old.
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Meanwhile, restaurants such as Five Guys, Nando’s and Zizzi, at nearby The Barcode leisure complex, will be offering socially-distanced outdoor dining as well as click-and-collect, takeaway or delivery options.
The Barcode will also see the highly anticipated opening of the new bar from famous craft beer brand BrewDog, which will also have some outdoor space for diners to enjoy the tap-poured craft beer, alongside a mouth-watering menu of burgers, wings and salads.
To help keep everybody safe, Drake Circus mall will continue to have its one way “keep right” system in place, with hand sanitising stations and enhanced cleaning regimes. All visitors must also wear a face covering unless exempt for medical reasons.
Visitor numbers will be carefully managed to make sure everyone can maintain social distancing, with red and green indicators used on store fronts to show if it is safe to enter or not dependent on capacity.
If the centre or any of the stores become particularly busy, visitors may be asked to queue considerately in a designated area outside for a limited time.
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Greg Lumley, centre director at Drake Circus, said: “We’re really excited to welcome everyone back to Drake Circus. It’s a long-awaited return for many of our retailers, as well as the chance to celebrate the opening of BrewDog.
“It’s of course really important that we all continue to work together to help keep everybody safe. Everyone visiting us in the coming weeks can expect to see all of our extra safety measures still in place, and our team will be on the ground helping to remind customers of the Government guidance.”
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Opening times and policies of individual retailers may vary, so it is always recommended that customers check with them directly before setting off.
Much of the shopping complex closed on March 23, 2020, when the country was ordered to go into the first lockdown. Only the “essential” stores, selling food and medicines, were allowed to stay open. These included Boots, Holland and Barrett and M&S.
But when the Government allowed “non-essential” stores to reopen on June 15, the mall saw many of its stores reopen. However, this was only temporary and the closed again for the second and third lockdowns, and have been shut all year so far.
During the pandemic the mall has also lost several retail outlets with Carphone Warehouse, Cath Kidston, Paperchase and Top Shop all closing.
At The Barcode, also owned by British Land, Cineworld has said it will be reopening its multiplex in May after a seven-month shutdown.