Millions of shoppers flood back to high streets on first weekend after lockdown restrictions eased
Shoppers flood back to high streets – but not everyone is buying it! Customers flood stores in ‘£1.5bn lifeline’ after Covid rules are eased… while protesters hit city centres to demonstrate against lockdowns
- At the start of what is expected to be a £1.5billion spending spree, shoppers in Manchester were pictured
- Today is the first non-working day since the nationwide lockdown ended on December 2
- Retailers hope purchases will breathe life back into a sector which has been hammered by the shutdown
- Comes after revellers were seen drinking outside bars in Soho, London, and braving wintry weather in York
- It comes as groups of anti-lockdown protestors gathered in Victoria Square in Birmingham this afternoon
Britons headed out in their droves to high streets on Saturday to do Christmas shopping after outlets re-opened following the lifting of the nationwide lockdown – as protesters hit city centres to demonstrate against lockdowns.
At the start of what is expected to be a £1.5billion spending spree today, shoppers in Manchester were pictured carrying bags of goods and waiting in queues outside stores, including Primark and the soon-to-be-closing Debenhams.
In what is the first non-working day since lockdown ended on December 2, shoppers were also out in force on London’s Regent Street and Oxford Street. They will be rushing to snap up Christmas deals with prices slashed by up to 80 per cent.
While high streets were busy with shoppers, protesters gathered in Victoria Square in Birmingham this afternoon and outside Stratford Station in east London to demand an end to lockdown measures.
Demonstrators were seen chanting and carrying signs reading ‘Covid-19 equals control’, in protest scenes that have become familiar for the last three weekends across the country.
Jeremy Corbyn’s conspiracy theorist brother Piers gave a speech at the protest in Birmingham which also attracted some anti-vaccine demonstrators.
On the high street retailers hope today’s purchases will breathe life back into a sector which has been hammered by the shutdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Two out of three smaller firms and self-employed workers have had to stop trading at some point in the past six months because of crisis, new research suggests.
As Britons headed to the shops, data from travel firm TomTom showed that congestion levels in all of England’s major cities were higher than this time last week.
Meanwhile, the UK’s chief medical officers have warned the Covid vaccine will only have a ‘marginal impact’ on hospital numbers over the winter as the four nations prepare to start administering the first doses next week.
The shopping scenes come after thousands of drinkers headed out last night to bars in Soho, London and also braved the wintry weather in York to enjoy a tipple.
Britons headed out in their droves to high streets on Saturday to do Christmas shopping after outlets re-opened following the lifting of the nationwide lockdown. Pictured: Shoppers in Manchester queue outside the soon-to-be-closing Debenhams, as well as Zara
At the start of what is expected to be a £10billion spending spree, shoppers in Manchester were pictured carrying bags of goods and waiting in queues for stores to let them in
In what is the first non-working day since lockdown ended on December 2, shoppers will be rushing to snap up Christmas deals with prices slashed by up to 80 per cent
While high streets were busy with shoppers, protestors also gathered in Victoria Square in Birmingham this afternoon and outside Stratford Station in east London (pictured) to demand an end to lockdown measures
People were seen chanting and carrying signs reading ‘Covid-19 equals control’, in protest scenes that have been familiar for the last three weekends across the country. Pictured in Birmingham
The number of customers visiting stores rocketed by 85.2 per cent on ‘Wild Wednesday’ – the day England came out of its second lockdown – with the rise ‘virtually double’ what had been expected, according to Springboard.
Pubs have had their curfew extended to 11pm but are grappling with the fresh regulations. In Tier 2, they can only serve alcohol with a ‘substantial meal’ and in Tier 3 they are limited to just takeaways.
More than 300,000 people are due in London’s West End, 150,000 at Birmingham’s Bullring and 120,000 at Manchester’s Trafford Centre, according to The Sun.
TomTom traffic data showed that congestion levels in London were at 41 per cent this morning, up 16 per cent on last Saturday’s figure of 35 per cent.
In Manchester congestion was at 24 per cent, up six per cent on last Saturday.
And in Liverpool, congestion was at 33 per cent this morning, up 11 per cent on last week.
In Birmingham and Wolverhampton, data showed that congestion was up nine per cent on last week’s figure of 18 per cent.
Two in three Britons are now happy to shop in physical stores rather than just online, a Centre for Retail Research study showed.
The centre’s Prof Joshua Bamfield said people would spend to end a ‘miserable’ 2020 in a ‘memorable’ way and added that the ‘determination’ to have good Christmas may trump concerns about Covid.
The spending prediction comes amid estimates that Covid-19 could cost small businesses up to £69billion in total, according to insurers Simply Business.
In a report to mark Small Business Saturday, the firm said many small business owners live in fear of the consequences another national lockdown would have on their business.
A separate study by American Express suggested that almost half of non-essential independent retailers believe the survival of their business is dependent on the sales they are able to make between reopening on December 2 and Christmas.
A record 17.6million people supported small independent businesses on last year’s Small Business Saturday, spending an estimated £800 million, said the finance giant.
Pictured: A woman carries packed Primark bags as she walks through Manchester earlier today
Predicting the mammoth single day spend, one market research agency also said 56 per cent of shoppers were ready to spend more than they had planned for the festive period. Pictured: Christmas shoppers start early in Manchester today
Shoppers in London were also out in force on Saturday. Pictured: Londoners walk down Regent Street after the easing of coronavirus restrictions
Shoppers walk wearing face masks as they carry shopping bags in Regent Street after coronavirus restrictions were eased
Shoppers wear face mask and Christmas hats, as they gesture at photographers in Regent Street
LONDON: Data from travel firm TomTom showed that congestion levels this morning were at 41 per cent, up 16 per cent on last Saturday’s figure of 35 per cent
MANCHESTER: Congestion levels in Manchester this morning were at 24 per cent, up six per cent on last week
LIVERPOOL: Congestion in Liverpool was at 33 per cent this morning, up 11 per cent on last week
BIRMINGHAM-WOLVERHAMPTON: Congestion in Birmingham and Wolverhampton was at at 27 per cent this morning, up nine per cent on last week
A group of anti-vaccine protesters outside Stratford Station, east London. Care home residents will start to be vaccinated from next week
A group of anti-vaccine protesters outside Stratford Station, east London today. It comes as many went shopping on the high street on the first weekend since the end of the second national lockdown
People take part in a demonstration in Victoria Square, Birmingham, to protest against coronavirus lockdown restrictions
Jeremy Corbyn’s conspiracy theorist brother Piers gave a speech at the protest in Birmingham which also attracted some anti-vaccine demonstrators
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: ‘Small businesses across the country have made a monumental effort during this crisis. ‘They have stepped up when it was most needed, supporting their local communities and making huge sacrifices to help tackle the spread of the virus.
‘Now we must repay them. This Small Business Saturday and beyond, we can all do our bit to stand by small businesses, by shopping safely where we live, including online, or ordering from local restaurants.’
Ed Miliband, shadow business secretary, added: ‘Shops, pubs, manufacturers, hotels and hairdressers, beauty salons and suppliers, breweries and bakeries, and small businesses of all kinds have been on the frontline of the economic crisis.
‘This is a day to celebrate the millions of these small businesses at the heart of our communities and the workers they employ. They represent the best of our country.’
Michelle Ovens, director of Small Business Saturday UK, said: ‘Lockdown and the closure of non-essential shops has led to a compressed Christmas trading period for small retailers in a vital time for many small shops.
Shoppers also queued on London’s Oxford Street on Saturday as they sought to take advantage of mammoth sales following the lifting of the coronavirus lockdown
The shopping scenes come after thousands of drinkers headed out last night to bars in Soho, London and also braved the wintry weather in York to enjoy a tipple
Revellers in York on Friday night braving the wintry weather ahead of the first weekend after lockdown restrictions were eased. Under Tier 2 restrictions, pubs can only serve alcohol with a ‘substantial meal’
Two revellers head out in York, which has been placed under Tier 2 restrictions, meaning that pubs can serve alcohol if it is accompanied by a substantial meal
Groups of people sit outside a bar in Soho, London, on Friday night after coronavirus restrictions were relaxed following the end of the second national lockdown in England on December 2, with the majority of the country being placed in Tier 2
Two police officers talk to revellers on Friday night in the city of York, as Britons headed out despite the wintry weather
A pedestrianised zone in Soho, London, filled with evening drinks after coronavirus restrictions were relaxed following the end of the second national lockdown in England on December 2
People drinking outside a bar in Soho, London, after coronavirus restrictions were relaxed following the end of the second national lockdown in England on December 2, with the majority of the country being placed in Tier 2
People being served outside a bar in Soho, London, after the second national lockdown came to an end earlier this week and England entered a strengthened tiered system of coronavirus restrictions
People drinking outside a bar in Soho, London, after England entered a strengthened tiered system of coronavirus restrictions. In Tier 2, pubs can only serve alcohol with a ‘substantial meal’ and in Tier 3 they are limited to just takeaways
Three people are pictured sat around a table as they drink outside a bar in Soho, London, on Friday night after the second national lockdown came to an end in England
People drinking outside a bar in Soho, London, after the coronavirus restrictions were shifted to a tiered system following the end of the second national lockdown in England
‘We are optimistic that with shops now able to reopen and many small firms being really entrepreneurial about the tactics they use to attract shoppers – including making the most of Small Business Saturday UK – that they will be able to make up lost sales.
‘Shoppers are also really keen to support small businesses more this year.’
On Saturday, independent retailers urged Rishi Sunak to use the near £2billion business rates relief returned by supermarkets to help struggling firms.
Companies want the Chancellor to extend business rates relief for 12 months to help struggling non-food retailers hit hard by lockdown restrictions and dramatically reduced consumer demand.
The call comes after supermarkets Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Aldi said last week they would hand back a combined £1.7billion in rates relief.
Andrew Goodacre, chief executive of the British Independent Retailers Association, said nearly all the money should be ‘used wisely’ to help struggling firms and the rest should help to ‘create new skills and jobs.’
Lidl and Pets at Home then added to the financial good news, with the former saying it would return more than £100million and the animal-focused retailer saying it would give back £28million.
People drinking outside a bar in Soho, London, after England entered a strengthened tiered system of coronavirus restrictions following its second lockdown
A couple drink outside a bar in Soho, London, last night ahead of the first weekend after the second national lockdown in England came to an end on Wednesday
People drinking outside a bar in Soho London, under a sheltered area after the second national lockdown came to an end and England entered a tiered system of coronavirus restrictions
It comes as GPs in England are set to start vaccinating people against coronavirus from December 14. Those aged 80 and over will be the first to receive the jabs, which will be administered at vaccination centres formed by groups of GP practices.
The UK became the first country in the world to approve the jab on Wednesday, after regulators gave it the green light in the wake of evidence showing it was up to 95 per cent effective and safe.
But experts have warned that festive gatherings are likely to put additional pressure on healthcare services, with a tough few months still ahead.
In a letter to colleagues, the four chief medical officers said this winter would be ‘especially hard’ for the health service due to coronavirus.
They wrote: ‘Although the very welcome news about vaccines means that we can look forward to 2021 with greater optimism, vaccine deployment will have only a marginal impact in reducing numbers coming into the health service with Covid over the next three months.
‘The actions and self-discipline of the whole population during lockdowns and other restrictions have helped reduce the peak and in most parts of the four nations hospital numbers are likely to fall over the next few weeks, but not everywhere.
‘The social mixing which occurs around Christmas may well put additional pressure on hospitals and general practice in the New Year and we need to be ready for that.’
