WE can’t let our precious high streets across Britain become yet another victim of the deadly Covid-19 pandemic.
That’s why I am urging Sun readers — millions of people who have enjoyed their shopping experiences for many, many years — to Save Our Shops. Your local shopkeeper needs you.
Now that the Government has given the go-ahead for many stores to reopen on June 15, we need to give shoppers every possible encouragement to return.
But it is not just for the benefit of store owners.
I predict we will see bargains galore in the high-street sale of the century.
Retailers such as myself have lost a whole season of customers walking into our stores.
We have a lot of stock that remains unsold. We need to sell it.
It promises to be a great opportunity for all of us and I hope it will signal a new golden era on the high street.
For many years, retail has been a key part of our communities and the fabric of our life.
The minute we shut our shops, we shut down a big part of our communities and our lives.
High streets are where we meet family and friends and find out what they’ve been up to, and in the wake of the lockdown, it is essential for our mental health and wellbeing.
You get expert advice, plus personal interaction, and there’s no need for a van to drive across the UK to deliver your parcel.
In my view there is nothing for the public to fear about the return, as long as my fellow retailers put in the effort to make sure their premises are as safe and secure as possible.
And for me, it means retailers making sure every-thing delivered from their warehouses, right through to our shops, is free from Covid-19.
We will be putting rigorous safety measures into place in selected stores and it will only be when we have things absolutely right that we will open the rest of them.
We will also be adhering to social-distancing guidelines outside and only allowing a certain number of people into any store at any given time.
We need to keep safely apart from each other.
This will enable shoppers to enjoy their shopping while adhering to social-distancing requirements once they are inside.
As they enter the stores, shoppers will be advised by staff not to touch items they do not intend to buy.
There will be plenty of signage giving customers guidance.
Returned goods will be put into quarantine before going back on the shelves.
Sanitation stations will be in place for both shoppers and staff and one-way walking systems will also be in operation inside.
At the tills there will be Perspex screens and customers will be encouraged to use a contactless card to pay.
There is a lot to do but it is paramount that retailers keep shoppers and staff safe at all times.
Lingerie store Boux Avenue has different needs and, in the beginning, changing rooms will not be available.
It is important for me that we adapt to the needs of our communities and follow all safety instructions.
The Ryman stationery chain and Robert Dyas hardware stores are actually community stores.
They have different locations across the country and they all have different needs, serving a varied population.
This needs to be taken into consideration when we choose where we will be reopening.
Often it will depend on the size of these stores and how busy they are. We will have to adapt each store accordingly.
A thriving high street, in towns and cities, creates community spirit.
In many areas it is the backbone and core of the community.
You can’t underestimate the value of that for people — by interacting with each other we are actually looking after each other.
Opening up the high street is exactly what people need after the terrible times we have been going through and I have had many messages from those in lockdown saying that the whole shopping experience is something that they have been missing greatly.
Just like the public, retailers can’t wait for their shops to reopen.
Obviously, cafes and restaurants, which are still set to stay shuttered, are also important to our high streets.
But these premises must only reopen when they can do so safely.
We can’t throw away all this time in lockdown and the hard work of everyone by rushing back to environments that are not deemed safe.
We are learning more and more every day about the virus, but we need to open up as soon as possible and as safely as possible.
Like everyone else, Mrs P and I have been shopping online. And in the past ten weeks this has advanced more than five years.
I am sure this will continue going forward and become an essential part of people’s lives. But we can’t miss out on the personal experience of going shopping.
My businesses actually developed a half-way house before lockdown, which is Click & Collect.
You can order online and within hours collect from the stores. It is quicker and sharper.
When all of our shops reopen we will reintroduce this feature, which has proved very popular.
Mrs P has been buying her groceries, clothing and lots for the garden online, including games for the grandchildren which she has had delivered directly to them.
I have been buying targets for my air-rifle practice — a childhood hobby which, up until now, I have not had time to enjoy.
I hope the economy recovers quickly so the high street does not have to lose jobs.
The short term is going to be tough because of the limited footfall.
It is only when shoppers get their confidence that the high street will thrive again.
The sooner we get back to normality, the sooner the economy will recover and jobs will be safe.
As for business rates, it’s a simple one.
There has been a fantastic decision by the Chancellor to suspend them for a year. But they can’t come back as they were.
We must find a new and fairer way to collect taxes across both online and physical retail.
So, let’s all say “Hi!” to the high street once again, from June 15.
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