Fenwick of Bond Street (Image Andy Tyler)
Fenwick announced today that all of its stores in England will be reopening from June 15 as lockdown measures begin to ease. The department store chain has stores located in Bond Street and Brent Cross in London, and in Bracknell, Canterbury, Colchester, Kingston, Newcastle, Tunbridge Wells and York.
Store colleagues will greet customers as they arrive and explain the new system in operation, and there will also be “clear signage” throughout each store to guide and advise customers. Fenwick also said there will be no fitting rooms or beauty treatments available in private treatment rooms or in booths on the shop floor.
“With the imminent reopening of our shops, the safety of our colleagues and customers is our absolute priority, and we have been working diligently to make our stores compliant with the guidelines, yet still give our customers a truly Fenwick experience,” Fenwick chief executive John Edgar said.
“Premium department stores such as Fenwick are the best place to enjoy shopping in the current situation – as well as the strict safety measure we have put in place; we have ample space, an incredible selection of brands and products all under one roof, and plenty of advisers providing excellent customer service.
“We are ready and prepared to open our physical stores on 15 June and we are very much looking forward to welcoming our customers then.”
Most stores are still uncertain what the level of business will be but it is unlikely that despite non-essential physical retailers being closed since mid-March, and the potential surplus of stock – with fashion retailers estimated to have some £15bn of unsold items – it’s unlikely that consumers will see wall-to-wall sales when stores in England reopen their doors. According to research by Pricewaterhouse Coopers retailers had made use of the lockdown period to significantly increase their promotional activities, with almost all retailers holding a sale or special promotion during the second May Bank Holiday. Fashion was particularly heavily promoted over the long weekend, with 85% of retailers slashing prices, typically offering between 41% and 60% off.
It is likely there won’t be big discounts next week and if queues for recently reopened retailers have shown us anything, it’s possible that pent up consumer demand may in fact lead to good news for retailers trying to preserve margins.
Of course if June trading does not make a big enough dent in stocks, we predict a rush of promotions and sales later in the summer. There has been an emerging cry from many bricks and mortar retailers that the High Street reverts to twice-yearly sales (with the first one in July 2020), dispensing with mid-season sales altogether.
