Halfords will fully reopen 53 UK stores by Friday with customers allowed back inside to browse shelves.
The car parts retailer will deploy marshals to guide people throughout the shops and use ‘sneeze screens’ to keep people safe.
Bosses expect a surge in customers wanting to get behind the wheel of cars that have been unused for several weeks.
The company has been allowed to remain open throughout lockdown but instead shut stores and operated online and from store car parks instead.
Pictured: A sign at Halfords encouraging shoppers to social distance amid the coronavirus pandemic
Pictured: A sneeze screen at Halfords helping to protect people from catching coronavirus
A marshal is pictured advising a customer in Halfords, which will reopen stores on Friday
Pictured: Customers demonstrate social distancing in Halfords as the care parts and bike giant gears up to open stores on Friday
Designated collection zones have been set up in stores across the UK to protect customers during the coronavirus pandemic
A date has not been set but screens and markings will be in place along with other safeguarding measures, Halfords said.
Graham Stapleton, CEO of Halfords, said: ‘We are pleased to be in a position to start letting our customers back into our stores. ‘However, we are going to be reopening them to our customers gradually and cautiously in order to be absolutely certain that our colleagues and customers have a safe environment in which to work and shop.
‘There has been a big surge in demand for our bike products and services as people have taken to cycling during the lockdown, both for commuting and for fun.
‘We are also anticipating a similar level of demand for our motoring products and services in the coming days, as people begin to use vehicles again that in some cases will have been off the road for many weeks.
Halfords are opening up 53 stores by Friday as lockdown eases across the UK but have introduced protective measures for customers (file photo)
Retailers prepare to re-opon across the UK
John Lewis yesterday announced plans to reopen some of its department stores next month, but would not confirm an exact date for when all stores would open across the UK. Bosses said social distancing measures used in its Waitrose stores have ‘informed’ its preparations for the department stores.
John Lewis has also announced that it will be reopening stores (file photo of one of the department stores)
Retailers are gearing up for what has been dubbed the ‘sale of the century’ with about £15billion worth of stock available after clothing stores shut their doors just days after filling their rails with spring and summer fashion.
Similarly, Marks & Spencer bosses have been guided by the safety measures employed in their own cafés when reopening stores. Dozens of the retailer’s food outlets reopened for takeaway only on May 15.
Next and M&S are among the retailers expected to promote huge discounts, with warehouse storage space 90 per cent full for some outlets who have resorted to putting products in containers on railway sidings.
‘The launch of our new Retail Lite model will assist us in meeting this increased demand, which in turn will allow us to continue helping to keep the UK moving.’
The stores spread across the country will allow a limited number of shoppers through its doors under a model bosses want to call ‘Retail Lite’.
Halfords has been allowed to remain open throughout the global pandemic and subsequent lockdown, classed as an ‘essential’ business.
The decision comes a day after the Government said most non-essential retailers could reopen from June 15, although the announcement was overshadowed by the Dominic Cummings scandal engulfing the Prime Minister.
But the company chose to close sites and operate an employee-only model where customers could make purchases from outside or online, meaning of 335 of Halfords’ 446 retail stores have been run this way since lockdown.
Halfords said: ‘However, there is no timetable or deadline in place for doing so and the pace will instead be dictated entirely by the company’s confidence that it can keep its colleagues and customers safe.’
In addition to its retail stores, Halfords currently has 346 of its 373 garages and 77 vans operating under a contactless model.
Thousands of shops, department stores and shopping centres can open from June 15, while outdoor markets and car showrooms will be allowed to open from next Monday as coronavirus lockdown restrictions are eased.
But things will look very different in the revamped stores, with checkouts behind screens, toilets and changing rooms closed, a limit on the number of customers allowed inside the store at any time and no seating available.
Stores will also feature markings outside to assist with socially-distanced queuing and encourage customers to shop alone where possible, according to union-backed guidance issued by the British Retail Consortium.
The future of McDonald’s: £25 limit per car at drive-thrus , plastic screens at counters and staff getting daily temperature checks – as fast food giant announces 975 branches will reopen next week
By Luke May for MailOnline
McDonald’s has announced nearly 1,000 more restaurants will reopen for drive-thrus or deliveries from next week, under a new lockdown friendly measures with a £25 cap on orders.
Each franchise has been asked to make sure its staff are fit and able to work, following nearly two months of lockdown measures.
From next Tuesday McDonald’s will begin announcing the restaurants that have reopened. By Thursday, 975 franchises will have reopened.
Cleaning stations will be set up inside McDonald’s restaurants for visiting delivery drivers, who will have no contact with restaurant staff when they arrive to pick up orders
Footage shows how restaurants are reopening with protective screens between staff and customers. Workers are also expected to wash their hands every 30 minutes.
Protective screens have been put in place inside the kitchens and at drive-thrus to lower the risk of contamination.
For customers, the major changes are a reduced menu and a £25 spending cap, which has been introduced as staff get used to working in smaller teams and to reduce waiting times at drive-thru lanes. Diners are also being asked to pay via contactless cards.
A McDonald’s spokesman said: ‘We can today announce that by 4th June, 1019 of our restaurants will have reopened, either for Drive Thru or McDelivery.
‘This means every Drive Thru in the UK and Ireland will reopen between Tuesday and Thursday next week and we will start to expand the availability of McDelivery too.
Customers are being asked to pay with contactless cards when using McDonald’s drive-thrus, while cleaning of payment equipment will be stepped up
Perspex screens between drive-thru workers and customers have been installed to further reduce the risk of spreading the virus
‘This is only possible following the hard work of the teams in our 44 pilot restaurants.
‘Over the last fortnight, our employees, franchisees and suppliers have worked tirelessly to implement new procedures to enable safe working so that we can now help all parts of the UK and Ireland to enjoy the return of the Big Mac.
‘With fewer employees working in our kitchens and service areas, our teams will still need your patience and support as they continue to adjust to the new ways of working.
McDonald’s staff will regularly disinfect surfaces at their stores to reduce the risk of customers and employees transmitting coronavirus between each other
Staff will wear face masks under the plans to reopen McDonald’s stores across Britain which will look very different as Britain begins to exit the coronavirus lockdown
Workers will wear protective gear including gloves in their stores as they prepare food for contact-free delivery, and hand over bags to delivery drivers to take to customers
‘Face coverings, gloves, Perspex screens and new safety and hygiene processes mean it will look different, it will take a little longer and as we have seen in the pilot restaurants, we expect demand will be high. Please bear with us, we will continue to put our people first – their safety is our priority.’
Drive-thrus reopening as lockdown measures ease has caused long queues as fast-food fans look to get their first fix of McDonald’s since restaurants were shut.
In some cases McDonald’s has had to shut drive-thru lanes, while there have also been complaints of delivery driver safety after they were seen queuing out the door in London to pick up orders.
Staff are being kept apart where possible, with additional screens being installed inside kitchens and at drive-thru windows
Kitchens have been refitted with perspex glass, while staff are wearing additional PPE inside the fast food restaurants. There will also be zero contact between delivery drivers and kitchen staff, McDonald’s has announced
Staff at each restaurant are having their temperatures regularly checked to ensure they are fit to work and are not potentially spreading the virus
What will be included in McDonalds’ limited menu?
Main Menu:
Cheeseburger
Hamburger
Double Cheeseburger
Big Mac
Quarter Pounder with Cheese
McChicken Sandwich
Filet-O-Fish
Chicken McNuggets
Chicken Selects
Sides & Desserts:
Fries
Mozzarella Dippers
McFlurry (Oreo, Maltesers, Smarties)
Fruit Bag
With more than 900 more drive-thru lanes reopening by next Thursday, the fast food giant says it is working to keep customers levels down.
It is only announcing which stores have reopened on the day it happens.
A McDonald’s spokesman said: ‘In the last week, on occasion, we have taken the decision to close Drive Thru lanes where demand has impacted local communities or the safety of our people or customers.
‘We will continue to work with local authorities and the police as we extend our reopening plans.
‘With smaller teams, we will still be offering a limited menu over reduced hours, and we ask that you make contactless payments and limit your spend to £25.
‘We are continuing to review these measures as we reopen, but for now, these restrictions remain in place to help our employees, customers and delivery partner couriers to remain safe.
‘To manage the anticipated demand, we will release the locations of the reopening restaurants on the morning of each day.’
Staggering footage showed vehicles snaking up and down roads waiting to access the restaurants, with many people having to wait over two hours to get their food.
Videos soon emerged on social media, after members of the public filmed the queues in utter disbelief, including one showing a seemingly endless stretch of traffic waiting to access the McDonalds A41 Watford restaurant.
Aghast, the individual filming the video could be hear saying: ‘How badly do they want a big mac. That’s a two hour wait for some nuggets.’
News of McDonald’s return comes as Halfords announced it will fully reopen 53 UK stores by Friday with customers allowed back inside to browse shelves.
The car parts retailer will deploy marshals to guide people throughout the shops and use ‘sneeze screens’ to keep people safe.
Bosses expect a surge in customers wanting to get behind the wheel of cars that have been unused for several weeks.
Customers and staff will be able to clean their hands with sanitiser dispensers that will aim to ensure the cleanliness of their fast food restaurants