British retailers, bars and restaurants were furious on Saturday evening at being ordered to close in the run up to the crucial Christmas trading period.
The tightening of measures will further dampen Britons’ spending confidence, many companies fear, and could put them off from going into shops even if non-essential retailers reopen before Christmas.
In April and May, when many high-street chains were forced to close, non-essential retailers lost £1.6 billion a week.
While the return of the furlough scheme will be welcome support, losses will be much greater the second time around as companies enter the crucial festive shopping period, when they make the bulk of their profits.
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said retailers had spent “hundreds of millions of pounds to make [stores] secure” and keep customers safe.
She added: “Retail faces a nightmare before Christmas, denying customers access to many of their favourite shops and brands.
“It will cause untold damage to the high streets this close to the festive season, cost countless jobs, and permanently set back the recovery of the wider economy.”
Supermarkets will stay open and Britons can use click-and-collect for online orders.
Takeaway food is also allowed, but people can no longer eat indoors at hospitality venues.
Charlotte Gatward, who runs the oldest family run jeweller in the UK, Gatwards of Hitchin, said: “As an industry, the most devastating is the timing of it.
“We make the majority of our profits in November and December. [Lockdown] will send everyone into the arms of Amazon, they will profit massively from this.”
Charlotte Bennett, the managing director of Healing Manor Hotel in Grimsby, said firms in the hospitality sector will not last beyond winter without additional income support.
“We were heavily relying on a strong festive period to see us through January, February and March and without that, we are going to have to quickly come up with some alternatives.
“As we creep over into November, a strong December is looking much less likely.”
Hayley Keys, who runs Lockwoods, a ski and outdoor clothes shop in Leamington Spa, said: “Of all the financial crashes and issues we have seen over the years, coronavirus has been the hardest to deal with.
“Our shop is very seasonal, selling mostly winter clothing. We will lose a key month of sales, and this will affect whether we can keep staff on in the long run.
“The main worry is that, by closing an independent store, people will go elsewhere as the big boys online will gain the sales.”
