UK: Small perfumery on challenges of reopening store

With non-essential shops being allowed to open in the UK once more, the Associated Press spoke to the owner of a bespoke perfumery about reopening after being closed for three months due to the coronavirus.

Linda Jayne Pilkington, founder and owner of Ormonde Jayne perfumery, spent Monday readying her boutique to open Tuesday.

Social distancing measures will mean only one customer can come into the small shop at a time and all bottles will need to be cleaned afterwards.

Pilkington, who also sells her perfumes in upmarket stores such as Harrods and Fortnum Masons as well as in stores in Russia, the USA and Asia, says she is optimistic she can survive but is realistic about the challenges ahead.

Concerned about the future of the economy, Pilkington said many people's finances are going to be affected.

"I don't think it is going to be anything like it was," she said, adding that people are more likely to spend money on things they need.

Not all shops in England are reopening.

Many say the social distancing guidelines are just too onerous for them to make reopening a viable proposition and are urging the British government to reduce the two-metre requirement.

Critics have also accused the government of being too hasty in reopening shops given still-high levels of daily coronavirus infections.

Though the country's daily virus-related death rates have fallen to below the levels seen before the lockdown, there are worries of a second spike.

The UK, as a whole, has recorded nearly 41,698 coronavirus-related deaths, the third highest in the world behind the United States and Brazil.

Customers are being encouraged to "be sensible" in their approach, as the government seeks to reopen the economy "gradually and carefully."

Figures last week showed that the UK economy shrank by 20% in April alone.

While the reopening has been eagerly awaited by many retailers, footfall is not expected to come anywhere near levels pre-lockdown.

(Representative Image)