Independent shops enjoy business boost - Printable Version

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Independent shops enjoy business boost - Kyng - 08-30-2020

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/aug/30/independent-shops-enjoy-business-boost-due-to-commuting-drop

Independent shops are unlikely to join the government’s push to get workers back to the office, according to the body representing the sector, after enjoying a boost in sales thanks to a drop in commuting.

Andrew Goodacre, chief executive of the British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA), said members in suburban areas and towns had reported positive sales throughout lockdown and beyond as they pick up business that would usually go to those working in the city centre.

He said: “You won’t find us on this call to get people back to the office for many reasons. I think that horse has bolted, and I understand why people are calling for it but people will come back on a more flexible approach … City centres now have to think, with fewer people commuting, what do we do to bring people back in?”

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Well, I guess this is one of the few unexpected good things to come out of the COVID upheaval . It's brought a vast range of changes to daily life, most of them bad, but it's a cloud that does have some silver linings.

However, I myself haven't been visiting independent shops any more frequently than I did pre-COVID. My office wasn't in a city centre, and I almost never left the office during lunchtimes anyway .

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