Following the news that the Government will allow all retail to extend their opening hours ahead of Christmas, retailers and property owners have joined forces to make sure shopping is as accessible and comfortable as possible for shoppers in the run up to Christmas (2-24 December) this year.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC), British Property Federation (BPF) and Revo have added their voice in support of retailers who want to open for longer, and are calling on all their respective members to engage early and positively to enable it to happen.
The BRC, BPF and Revo are jointly asking their members to do the following:
- If retailers want to operate longer opening hours, they should contact shopping centre owners/operators to inform them of their plans as soon as possible
- Owners/operators of retail locations should contact retailers to inform them of what longer opening hours are possible
- Owners/operators of retail locations should assess how many and which retailers actually want to operate longer hours in this period
- Owners should apportion any additional costs (e.g. security, cleaning, essential maintenance) incurred as a result of longer opening among those retailers that want to open for longer through their service charges, which should be paid as normal
“We welcome the Government’s move to extend opening hours to help save Christmas for our shops, shop staff and customers and we feel sure owners, operators and occupiers will work together to make this work for all concerned,” commented Revo’s chief executive Vivienne King. “With shoppers set to return in numbers, preparation needs to be underway to ensure centres and retail places are ready to welcome them in.”
BRC chief executive said it was important to make things as easy as possible for everyone to get the Christmas shopping they need over the next three weeks: “Retailers want to serve their customers and spread the demand, giving flexibility for shoppers about when and how they shop. We’d encourage people to shop during less busy hours where possible and try to avoid leaving it to the last minute.”
And Melanie Leech, BPF chief exectuive, said that extended opening hours will provide a boost in the run up to Christmas as it will give: “Shoppers more time, keeping them safe and ensuring their experience is as comfortable as possible – and property owners will want to support. If a retailer would like to benefit from the extended opening hours, this will require engaging as soon as possible with shopping centre owners and operators to ensure centres can fund and provide the necessary additional cleaning services and security.”
