Call for Midlands shoppers to buy local this Christmas
West Midlands shoppers have been urged to buy locally in the critical run-up to Christmas after non-essential shops reopened this week.
Shopping centres have already reported boosts in footfall this week, some to nearly the same level as this time last year.
Corin Crane, Black Country Chamber of Commerce CEO said: “Now, in what retailers call the ‘Golden Quarter’ – the critical run-up to Christmas – they have had to endure a second month-long closure and following strict guidelines are only opening up again this week to desperately try and trade in the run up to what will be a very different Christmas this year.
“During the first lockdown, many people found themselves reconnecting once again with their local high streets.
"With the November lockdown now over, and only a few more weeks to go before Christmas, the new Tier 3 guidelines mean that many retailers who were closed last month are now open again.
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“Whilst we understand that visiting retailers right now will look and feel different, we absolute urge everybody to do so. Local retailers have invested time and resources into making their environments Covid-19 secure and it is more important than ever to support local businesses.
“Sadly, in the face of the most difficult trading conditions retailers have ever experienced, the obstacles encountered for many have just proved far too severe.
“This has been an incredibly sad time for anyone in the region who works in retail, as well as those suppliers, stakeholders and supply chains.
“Opening and closing to work within the permitted government Covid-19 restrictions has been incredibly difficult, whilst working to implement and increase online sales has been tough.
“This week 13,000 staff are now at risk with Arcadia in the hands of administrators, and Debenhams, after 242 years of trading with 12,000 jobs across the country and large stores in the Black Country, could close for good, we know this will be a worrying time for employees and their families, especially in the run-up to Christmas.
“Retail is crucial to our towns and city centres; it employs around three million people across the UK. The Government must take this seriously and we need a recovery plan to get the industry back on its feet.”
Merry Hill Shopping Centre has extended its opening hours during December.
A spokesman said: “So far, we’ve seen steady footfall and the safety measures we’ve introduced, including updated one-way floor markings and new signage at entrances are working well.
“We’ve also extended our opening hours during December to help support our retailers and we are now open an hour earlier from 8am every Monday through to Saturday."
A spokesman for Halesowen's Cornbow Shopping Centre said: “The centre has seen an immediate bounce back of footfall to pre-lockdown 2 levels. However our essential retail continued to trade throughout lockdown, serving our local community safely.”
Wolverhampton's Mander Centre has also seen new shops open this week.
Richard Scharenguivel, manager of the Mander Centre, said: “Footfall on Wednesday, the first full day for reopening all stores, was close to the same day in 2019 and it was great to see people returning to us to shop locally and, importantly, supporting local retailers through a difficult time.
“We welcomed some new store openings this week – Sports Direct, Flannels, Game and Mouse Bench and all have reported high footfall and good sales.
“We hope to see this trend continue throughout December giving our retailers, both national and local, plus their hard-working staff something to cheer over the festive period and New Year.
“And we have added late openings over the coming weeks to give people more time to shop when it’s convenient for them.”
Jackie Clay, manager at West Bromwich's New Square Shopping Centre, added: “The first day of opening saw a big upsurge in visitors to the centre, with over double the visitors from the previous week when we were still under lockdown.
"Although it’s hard to predict fully at the moment, we’re expecting a strong Christmas for the centre. Customers are telling us that they’ve been looking forward to coming out and having the full Christmas shopping experience that you can’t get from online shopping and we think this will translate into growing footfall and sales for tenants in the festive build-up.”
