‘Encouraging’ start to return of non-essential retail’, says Bira
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The CEO of Bira, Andrew Goodacre, has welcomed the reopening of the hospitality industry, on July 4 in England, as it will further support members and the wider independent retail sector.
In a new survey, Bira revealed more than one fifth (22.3%) of respondents enjoyed more than 100% better sales than they would have expected pre-Covid-19.
Some 15% had between 75-100% of expected sales compared to before the crisis, with just 11% having only taken 0-25% of predicted sales.
Almost 90% (89.3%) had implemented social distancing measures inside their premises. Some 63% had some sort of social distancing measures outside the premises,and had better sales because of it.
Bira said looking ahead, 30% of respondents feel ‘fully prepared’ for a second lockdown (national or regional), while 49.5% feel ‘somewhat prepared’ if restrictions are implemented again.
Goodacre said: “The results were encouraging but also highlighted fragile consumer confidence.We welcome the reopening of the hospitality sector in England on 4 July , but more help is needed for independent retailers moving forward, such as a reduction in VAT.”
