Shops are starting to shut

[Twospaniels]

My daughter works in TKMaxx and they are closing UK wide after today for “the foreseeable future”

Also heard that Clarke’s are closing.

Daughter is salaried luckily and will get paid as normal for now, but who knows what the future holds?

@rwalker Wickes are on reduced opening hours, closing at 6pm.

Like the three previous posters I live in Newcastle. I could not believe it when I put the local news on last night and saw Fenwicks was closing.
I have lived there all my life and to many people Fenwicks is Newcastle.
My mother will be turning in her grave now.She always visited the Terrace Tea rooms for a treat when she went into the city centre.
When I was a child my grandmother 's next door neighbour worked in Fenwick's French Salon as a dressmaker.That was in the days when almost all their dresses were made to measure.
So sad but that is life.

Some of the banks in our town are closing as there aren't enough staff because of self-isolation.

funkylittleboatrace I'm really sorry to hear that.

These are scary times, I think a recession is inevitible and I think there will be huge social changes in the aftermath.

anyone know whether small food stores like corner shops and farm shops will be likely to stay open?

Difficult to say for certain if they are small independents (rather than the Tesco's and Sainsbos of this world), but if they stock staples like bread, dairy, cleaning products it's highly likely they will try to stay open to support their local community. My DMs Tesco Local is definitely staying open, as they are a significant support to retired people in her flats and it employs about 10 or more people to run that store.

There isn't a mandate on closures, but the fact a lot of stores are electively closing is a sign that increasing numbers of the population are getting the message about social distancing and maybe even having to bow to peer pressure, because trivial socialising and doing the non-essentials at a time like this is stigmatised, and rightly so.

This is really bad, I don't go shopping usually so all these shops shutting isn't a thing on my radar normally, but seeing them all listed here makes it all seem very real.

Red they’ll reopen it’s more because people are being good at social distancing. It’s better than not atm.

@LittleYorkshireLass those opening times sound like the olden days when everything closed on Sundays and Wednesdays were a half-day.

It’s because people are scared to spend money.

QuimJonUn Fenwicks is so iconic, isn't it? lt's just always been there. l did my work experience there when l was at art college. Northumberland Street will be like a ghost town.

While it's easy to assume that all shops pay rent to huge companies, please realise that it's not always so. The pension fund I run owns one property, not a large one, and we are soon retiring (or perhaps not), and the rent forms a big chunk of what we will be living on for the rest of our lives.

The bigger question is which high street stores will ever reopen.

According to DM Fenwicks in Canterbury and Tunbridge Wells is going to close for the foreseeable

@daisychain01

Yeah, I agree. I remember when shops were not open 7 days a week and had a half day!

I work in a Spar shop, we have been told we absolutely will not be closing as we sell food but also because we are a petrol station.

Our local pool closed today but gym is still open (I’m not going).

Local cafes have become take away and food delivery services (meals on wheels). No one needs to go clothes shopping do they? You can buy things online if you really need them. Only shops that should be open are supermarkets and smaller village shops. It seems we are slowly putting the country into lock down even though the government are not implementing full lock down.

I got an email from Fenwicks this morning confirming they’re closing, I’m in so London where we have a massive shopping centre version. Can’t believe they’re closing.

On another note all our local corner shops are struggling to get food from the cash and carry, my dh has been round to 3 this evening and they all said they’ll have no food at all from this weekend onwards. The suppliers are totally empty.

I heard that Argos has sold out of gym equipment. Sounds like it could be true. A lot of people I know can't access a gym now.

It'd be weird seeing Fenwicks shut. Not that I'll see it shut because I'll not be travelling up to Newcastle until it's safe.

I'm wondering if WHS will stay open for the post offices. We have few enough of them, as it is - our nearest closed before Christmas and I can't see the weekly van coming if staffing is an issue. I have a long shopping list for Smith's in the morning, anyhow. Need stationery supplies and stuff for the boys and it's the only shop that sells one of the things on my list, so I'd rather go there for the other stuff than a crowded supermarket.

@Biancadelrioisback / QuimJongUn
I had not realised Fenwick had closed!

@QuimJongUn - which pub is that?

McDonalds only takeaway & drive through.

I went to Blue Water this evening to get a few bits so my dds are comfy at home and had underwear etc and lots of shops were shut. I think it should be shut to stop school children congregating there, I fully see it happening this weekend or shortly after

I dare say M&S will stay open. It was packed full of retired people today. Everyone younger might be self-isolating, but they are definitely not.

Everything open in my town in NE Scotland. I feel as if I'm in a parellel universe as what a lot of on here are describing, just isn't happening. Apart from the schools closing and precious little to buy in the shops, everybody is still carrying as normal.

Oasis closing