Primark’s Harrogate store is set to reopen on June 15 after more than 10 weeks of closure due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The company is among the first non-essential chain outlets to announce it will reopen a week on Monday as lockdown measures are eased.

Bosses at the company announced that it is working to reopen all 153 stores across England with extensive social distancing measures in place. Under government guidelines, non-essential retail stores, such as clothes shops and electronic outlets, will be able to reopen from June 15.

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• Harrogate BID creates social distancing posters for businesses
• Disability charity urges Harrogate businesses not to leave disabled behind

Social distancing measures will include limited customers in store, hand sanitiser for shoppers and Perspex screens at tills to protect staff. Every second till in stores will be closed and face masks and gloves will be made available to Primark employees.

Paul Marchant, chief executive at Primark, said the company wanted to ensure that stores were safe for both staff and customers:

“We know that life for our customers is going to look different for a while. We want our stores to be safe and reassuring places to shop and work. While it might take a little longer to get into our stores, once inside, customers will find all their favourite Primark products and we have worked hard to make sure that clear signage and extra help will be there to guide them through the changes we have made to allow for social distancing. 

“We will adopt all government safety advice as a minimum in our stores and have benefited from our experience in the other markets in Europe where we have already opened successfully. As we open, we will continue to look at best practice across the retail sector and amend our measures appropriately. 

“I would like to thank all of our colleagues and partners for the commitment, strength and resilience they have shown through these challenging times.” 

Harrogate businesses have been urged not to leave disabled shoppers behind as they gear up to reopen in the coming weeks.

Disability Action Yorkshire has called on companies to put in place measures to help disabled people shop safely and published guidance to follow.

It comes as car showrooms will be able to reopen on Monday and other non-essential stores, including clothes shops and electronics outlets, will open on June 15.

Among the measures suggested by the charity include widening aisles, clear signage at a height for wheelchair users and discretion on the limited people in a shop rule for those who need a companion to support them.

The charity has also suggested putting chairs out for queues at stores where there is likely to be a long wait.

Jackie Snape, chief executive at Disability Action Yorkshire.

Jackie Snape, chief executive at Disability Action Yorkshire, called on businesses to bear disabled customers in mind when they put plans in place.

She said:

“As we gently ease through lockdown many businesses, shops and hospitality venues are thinking about making the necessary adjustments to make their premises, routes and spaces as safe for as many people as possible.

“We are asking that, when making those vital plans, you consider disabled customers. ‘Shop local’ is a message we hear a lot and we want to ensure that when disabled people cone into town they can do so in comfort and safety.

“Whilst it’s not an exhaustive list, we hope businesses find these suggestions both useful and beneficial.

“We would also ask disabled people to get in touch with us if they have other suggestions, as we know there’s going to be a lot of things worrying people that we haven’t considered.”

Harrogate Borough Council’s decision to give its commercial tenants three months rent free is set to land local taxpayers with a £200,000 bill.

A report to council leader, Richard Cooper, and Cllr Graham Swift, executive member for economy, at the authority’s urgent cabinet meeting in March detailed the cost of the decision before it was approved by senior councillors.

Since then, the authority has seen its debt from the coronavirus outbreak spiral from an estimated £10 million to £15 million and is now considering furloughing staff to address the shortfall.

While most local authorities decided to defer rents for local companies, the borough council opted to wave them completely for its tenants.

Unlike other businesses, council tenants have had a double dose of public money with many applying for emergency government grants on top of a rent free period. It leaves the authority facing questions over whether the decision was a good use of taxpayer money or not when the cost of the pandemic is revealed.

One council tenant, who did not wish to be named, said that they knew of at least one fellow council tenant which was still operating and that most of the smaller businesses will have applied for the government’s £10,000 grant.

They said they were given no advanced notice of the decision until they received an e-mail to inform them of the rent free period.

They said: “I was shocked and could not believe it, nobody asked for it.

“Obviously I am pleased, but I wonder if it might have been better if they found out those businesses who cannot get the grant and supported them.”

At the time of the decision, a joint statement from Cllr Cooper and chief executive Wallace Sampson said the authority wanted to encourage others to offer support.

It said: “Our commercial tenants will be offered three months’ rent free and we’ll be doing all that we can to encourage other landlords in the district to consider what support they can offer their tenants.”

Earlier this month, some landlords described the decision as “unnecessary” at a time when the council is considering furloughing some of its staff in the future to help make ends meet.

Meanwhile, Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrats group on the council, said she felt the decision was rushed.

“I think in hindsight it was maybe a decision which should have been tempered,” she said.

“For me, I think it was a bit of a rushed decision that I wish I had given more thought.”

Harrogate Borough Council has been asked whether it intends to extend the rent free period, but had not responded at the time of publication.

Businesses in Knaresborough are preparing social distancing measures as some shops in the town gear up to reopen next month.

A range of measures designed to help shops in Knaresborough reopen safely are set be introduced following a Knaresborough Chamber of Trade initiative.

It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that non-essential shops, including clothes stores and electronic outlets, will be able to reopen from June 15.

The chamber has led a campaign called Knaresborough Unlocked which aims to keep the town open for business.

As part of the initiative, Knaresborough is set to introduce measures such as limited customers in shops at one time, bookings for those offering personal care, and some temporary road closures proposed by the chamber. Business owners are also encouraged to practise good hygiene in their stores.

Road closures

The chamber is in discussions with North Yorkshire County Council to close roads including Market Place, Castlegate and parts of Jockey Lane in order to help create space for people to queue outside businesses.

Bill Taylor, treasurer at Knaresborough Chamber of Trade, said the measures are designed to keep people safe:

“These are temporary measures until social distancing becomes a thing of the past. We are just trying to keep everyone safe.”

Kelly Teggin Hair and Beauty in Knaresborough, which is preparing measures to keep customers safe when it reopens.

Among the businesses that has put preparations in place is Kelly Teggin’s Hair and Beauty salon on Castlegate.

While the government has said salons will not reopen until July at the earliest, owner Kelly Teggin has started to prepare to reopen safely.

She has put in place social distancing measures in the salon, including personal protective equipment, a one-way system and staggering working hours to fit appointments in.

Customers will be told to turn up at their exact booking time in order for people to keep their distance and people will not be able to wait in the waiting area.

Kelly said the lockdown has given her time to prepare the business should it reopen next month.

“I would not have felt prepared if it was a June reopening. But now that it is coming up to July, I do think that by then we will be ready.”

A Ripon business that was dealt a blow when coronavirus arrived is ready to bounce back.

U NAME IT Promotions of Sycamore Business Park, which makes customised promotional goods, lost 90 percent of its business almost overnight, as the coronavirus crisis brought an abrupt shut-down to the majority of sectors that it supplies into.

To save the company, owner Grant Ashworth, had to furlough all members of his team, and diversify into supplying a range of ‘back to business’ products that will help existing and new customers to re-open their doors.

One new product – a contactless tool (pictured above) – can literally be used to open doors without involving hand to surface contact and can also be used on keypads, such as those found at cash machines.

The new range includes office cleaning and hygiene packs, face masks and no touch keyrings – all designed to make the work environment safe for returning employees.

Mr Ashworth, who has successfully built the business over the past 19 years, told the Stray Ferret:

“In all of my years of trading, I have never experienced any situation as difficult as this and it was a very tough day when I had to tell the team I was having to take up the furlough option to protect the long-term future of the business.”

In addition, he applied for and was successful in obtaining a government-backed Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan whilst he has been running the company single-handed:

Mr Ashworth pointed out:

“They say that necessity is the mother of invention and I have looked for and found a new revenue stream that will keep us ticking over until our core business returns.”

The first of the U NAME IT employees that have been furloughed, will return next month and Mr Ashworth hopes sales of the usual promotional items that the company sells to a loyal customer base, will steadily return as the economy gets back into a more normal pattern of activity

Harrogate Business Improvement District has backed calls for council bosses to listen to businesses over pedestrianisation plans in the town centre.

The organisation joins Independent Harrogate which has argued for local businesses to be listened to over the town centre which it says faces a serious economic crisis.

It comes as temporary pavement widening measures were put in place by North Yorkshire County Council on James Street, Commercial Street and parts of Albert Street last week to help with social distancing.

But the bollards served to reignite opposition to permanently widen some footpaths and lose car parking as a result of a “gateway” plan for the town.

Sara Ferguson, acting chair of the Harrogate BID, said it backed the call for businesses to be listened to and will also ask the county council to urgently review car parking signs in order to make it easier for people driving into the town.

She said: “The temporary measures to assist with social distancing are both necessary and welcomed. They will help make customers and workers more comfortable about returning to Harrogate town centre.

“However, at the same time, it’s imperative that those driving into town by car know where they can park – both on-street and in car parks – and at the same time are not penalised for doing so.

“Harrogate BID is here to represent every town centre business who, between them employ thousands of people. Any plans for further pedestrianisation need to be carefully considered, and must take into account the views of all town centre businesses.

“Another important factor within this needs to be improving traffic flow, which will enhance everyone’s experience driving in and around the town.”

“Our aim is to make Harrogate a must-visit destination; one that is accessible for people arriving by all means of transport, including on foot, public transport, cars, bicycles and scooters.

“In the meantime, we will be asking our partners North Yorkshire County Council for an urgent review into town centre parking signage.”

The temporary bollards put up to widen James Street in Harrogate to help give space for social distancing have served to reignite fierce opposition to a plan to permanently widen the pavements by losing the on street car parking.

A £7.8m pot from the Transforming Cities Fund was secured in March to create a “gateway”  to connect the bus and railway stations with the town centre making it easier for walkers and cyclists.

The plan fits into a wider strategy for Harrogate drawn up by the borough council in its 2016 Town Centre Strategy and Masterplan. It states:

The council’s preferred option is for the full pedestrianisation of James Street. This option will serve to link the public realm schemes at Prospect Square and Station Square.

The gateway scheme though is still subject to extra funding by the county and district councils and further consultation.

Artists impression of the station square and the top of James St from the town centre masterplan 2016

The loss of on street parking or any pedestrianisation of James St is fiercely opposed by retail group, Independent Harrogate. Yesterday in its mission statement, it argued the plan is out of date and that, post coronavirus lockdown, the town is facing such a serious economic crisis, reducing any on-street parking would be a disaster. It urged the councils to:

listen to their business rate payers and to address the damaged fundamentals of Harrogate before proceeding with their long-term vision; and then do so in consultation with Independent Harrogate’s members and all businesses who trade there.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, the county council’s Executive Member for Access told The Stray Ferret that their aim was to keep everyone onboard and to make it easier for shoppers:

“North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council both know that when you talk about pedestrianisation some people get anxious. Some are in favour, others see it as terrible. At this stage re-allocation of the road means taking away car parking spaces and widening the pavements.”

When the consultation starts it’s hard to see how either council will be able to win Independent Harrogate over without significant changes to the proposals.

The money awarded to the project in March has to be spent within 3 years.

Independent traders in Harrogate have warned council chiefs to “stop playing poker” with the town centre and put the local economy first as it faces a crisis.

In a mission statement posted to local politicians and business chiefs, Independent Harrogate set out its stall and called for cheaper car parking, cleaner streets and better public transport.

It also called for a park and ride system, better rail links and for the town to be marketed to prestigious retailers in order to thrive again.

Among the issues the trade group said the town faced was a drop in footfall, a loss of independent shops, high cost of trading and lack of people coming into the town centre.

Independent Harrogate said the High Street had already seen national retailers such as H&M leave and now independents were following due to high rates and rents above the national average.

It warned that the town is in a “very delicate” state and any ill-conceived plans would “risk terminal damage” to the economy.

In order to address these problems, it said the town needed better access, an increase in appeal and regeneration in order to bring back the footfall.

The statement said: 

“HBC and NYCC officially adopted the Harrogate District Local Plan in March 2020.This plan was first drafted in 2014, in a time before Harrogate felt the full effects of the national damage to the High Street, and before COVID-19.The plan proposes far-reaching changes to Harrogate including increased pedestrianisation, the reduction of car traffic and an increase in cycle access

“Independent Harrogate is broadly in favour of many of these initiatives in the longer term. Who could not fail to be enthused by the images of al fresco dining, tree-lined streets and grand gateways? Our 200 members also worry about climate change and increasing pollution and would in due course like to see substantial changes, but they do so against the hard reality of running profitable businesses which are the lifeblood of the community where we all live and work. Everyone needs to understand that Harrogate has no guaranteed right to survive, let alone reclaim its place as a jewel in Yorkshire’s crown; any reduction of access to the town centre in the short term is suicidal.

“As Independent Harrogate has long warned, there is a crisis in Harrogate town centre. We urge both HBC and NYCC to stop playing poker with their precious asset, to listen to their business rate payers and to address the damaged fundamentals of Harrogate before proceeding with their long-term vision; and then do so in consultation with Independent Harrogate’s members and all businesses who trade there.”

Businesses preparing to return to work after the coronavirus lockdown could be doing so in completely different ways – and employment levels in the Harrogate district could take a hit.

Mike Patterson, head of employment law at Berwins, said many businesses may have found the enforced change actually suits them and they will keep some of the new ways of working even after lockdown ends.

However, he said there are still many tough weeks ahead for businesses, especially as the furlough scheme changes from August.

“Initially, we were dealing with lots of queries about furloughing. We’re now starting to get into post-lockdown, getting business back up and running. A lot of people were waiting for Boris’s roadmap to see the timetable to get people back to work.”

Mike Patterson of Berwins Solicitors

A series of announcements, changes and retractions in advice since the beginning of the crisis, have made it harder for lawyers, accountants and others to keep up with the latest situation in order to advise their clients, Mr Patterson said. The furlough regulations, for example, were produced in one large document and, when the scheme was tweaked, the document was updated but no information was published about what had been changed, leaving advisors to read it repeatedly to find the updates.

The way the announcements were made this week also gave some businesses and employees hardly any notice, from Sunday evening, that they could be expected back at work the following day. Mr Patterson added:

“I would have felt more comfortable if it was a consistent message with the rest of the UK. I like to think I’ve got a bit of common sense, but everybody’s different in what’s normal, what they think they should do.

“You’re saying tomorrow at 8am people who can’t work from home should go to work? You’re putting it back on the employee to take that decision as to whether it’s safe to go in? That’s pretty unfair in terms of lack of notice and lack of planning.”

Now, many businesses are looking at how they can resume more normal working in the coming weeks and months. The extension of the furlough scheme and the possibility of bringing staff back part-time while the economy gets moving again has been met with relief.

“Speaking to a few businesses and seeing what people are doing, that’s quite a welcome move. Businesses are nervous of this cliff edge the chancellor keeps speaking about. It’s not going to be back to normal over night, it’s going to take time. It helps to have flexibility and phased returns.”

Physical presence

The practical aspects of returning to work are at the top of business owners’ lists of priorities, he said. Enabling social distancing and other aspects of health and safety in workplaces all have to be considered, but businesses are also looking at whether returning to previous operations is even necessary or desirable.

“The traditional view of ‘we have got to be physically present,’, that’s potentially going to be something of the past. Their arm has been forced, given this: they have got to adapt and allow home working. It comes back to physical presence and it will impact on the space they need.”

For some businesses, there has been very little change to how they work. For others, whether changing the services they offer or allowing greater flexibility as parents juggle working hours with childcare, it has been a period of operating differently.

Mr Patterson said the return to work will have to have an element of flexibility too, for both employers and employees, as different sectors return to trading at different speeds.

In the long term, Mr Patterson said it is inevitable some businesses will be forced to make cuts:

“The furlough is a welcome safety net for businesses and employers. The reality is it’s maybe a bit of a honeymoon period that will have to come to an end and businesses will have to make difficult decisions.”

Some landlords in the Harrogate district have criticised the borough council’s plan to give commercial tenants free rent during the coronavirus pandemic.

The authority made the decision back in March as part of its response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Businesses which rent from the council were given three months free rent and could also apply for emergency grants from the government.

While other authorities offered local companies in their area rent deferrals, the borough council decided to give businesses in the district a period of rent for free.

At the time, a joint statement from chief executive Wallace Sampson and council leader Richard Cooper said the council wanted to encourage others to offer support.

It said: “Our commercial tenants will be offered three months’ rent free and we’ll be doing all that we can to encourage other landlords in the district to consider what support they can offer their tenants.”

But some landlords in the district have described the decision as “unnecessary” and pointed to the fact that the authority has estimated a £15 million shortfall in its budget.

John Warren, a housing landlord in Ripon, said while some business will need help, the cost is going to eventually have an impact on the taxpayer. He said:

“My concern is as a council taxpayer.

“We have a council which is giving money away perhaps unnecessarily and no doubt in 12 months time council tax will be put up.

“I am sure they have done it for the best of reasons, but when times are hard you have to think of the greater good which is the council taxpayer.”

Mr Warren contacted The Stray Ferret and said he was unhappy after it was revealed that the borough council is expecting a shortfall of £15 million and may have to furlough some staff to address the funding gap.

Another landlord, who did not wish to be named, said: “It does not seem fair, it will screw the market.”

In response to an e-mail from Mr Warren, Councillor Margaret Atkinson, member for Fountains and Ripley, said the authority was doing all it can to support local business.

“The council has to do everything it can to help these businesses on the instructions of the government,” she said.

“The government has given Harrogate council over £40 million to issue grants of £10,000 to small businesses that meet – 1) They are in the Harrogate district, 2) They qualify for small business rate relief or rural rate relief and 3) the business occupies the property.

“They have already had over 2,000 applications.”

However, Mr Warren described Councillor Atkinson’s response to his concerns as “very unsatisfactory”.

Meanwhile, Councillor Pat Marsh, Leader of the Liberal Democrats group on the borough council, said she thought the decision was rushed.

“I think in hindsight it was maybe a decision which should have been tempered,” she said.

“For me, I think it was a bit of a rushed decision that I wish I had given more thought.”

Harrogate Borough Council has been approached for comment but had not responded at the time of publication.