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    03

    Nov 2020

    Last Updated: 02/11/2020
    Business
    Business

    Lockdown 'at worst possible time for retail' says Harrogate bookshop

    by John Plummer

    | 03 Nov, 2020
    Comment

    0

    Georgia Eckert, of Imagined Things Bookshop in Westminster Arcade, says she usually takes a third of her annual takings in the eight-week run-up to Christmas, and questions why shop owners were given so little notice of Thursday's shutdown.

    imagined-things
    Georgia Eckert, Imagined Things

    Lockdown will come at the "worst possible time for retail", according to the owner of an independent bookshop in Harrogate.

    Georgia Eckert, of Imagined Things Bookshop in Westminster Arcade, said she usually took a third of her annual takings in the eight-week run-up to Christmas.

    Ms Eckert said she understood the government's need to act but questioned how little time businesses had to prepare for the change.

    "It's come at the the worst time for retail. I know there is a lot of uncertainty but we didn't have any time to plan for it.
    "The government had said for ages there wouldn't be another national lockdown."


    Ms Eckert is due to give birth in March and had recently extended her staff team from one to three. She said:

    "I'm relieved the furlough scheme will continue. I just hope we can reopen in December but even if we can there is a limit to how many people we can have in the shop due to social distancing."


    Ms Eckert said her business would "do everything it can" to survive, by providing click and collect, home deliveries and developing its website.




    Read more:



    • Andrew Jones MP criticised for lockdown U-turn

    • Pre-lockdown rush for haircuts in Harrogate






    Being a former NHS employee, Ms Eckert said she understood action had to be taken to prevent hospitals being overwhelmed. She added:

    "Let's hope business will bounce back strongly but we have to get through this first."