Supporting Portsmouth area's local shops is 'more important than ever' ahead of reopening

As non-essential retailers prepare to reopen their doors next week, local shopowners have urged residents to support them in what are expected to be a difficult few months.

Shops were forced by the government to close their doors when the coronavirus pandemic reached UK shores.

Ahead of the reopening, traders are fearful of a drop in consumer confidence, with experts also warning of a recession further down the line.

Today, The News is issuing a call to arms as now is the time to support our local shops – voting with our feet and, crucially, our wallets.

Liz Penman is the owner of Rose Clover, a florist in Elm Grove, Southsea.

When lockdown began, she was fearful that her business could go under, disappearing forever.

But ahead of reopening on June 17, she has spoken about the importance of supporting local businesses as much as possible.

She said: ‘I was really worried about losing my business, so am very grateful to still be here.

‘Shopping local allows people to pay local employees, and keeps money in the city.

‘Everyone seems enthusiastic about the shops reopening, and I think they will all adhere to the social distancing rules.

‘Online shopping is great, and we’ve had a lot of customers through that, but I think people are really missing that shopping experience. That being said, I don’t think we’ll be as busy as we were pre-lockdown, at least not to begin with.’

Owner of Solent Shoes in Portchester and secretary of the Portchester Traders Association, Amanda Kent, will be reopening her shop with reduced hours and closed shop appointments for vulnerable customers.

She said: ‘I’ve got a face visor and plenty of disposable gloves, so any contact with customers while I measure their feet will be kept to a minimum.

‘Supporting local shops is more important than ever; I’ve been closed for three months so we have a lot of lost ground to make up. To do that, we need your help.

‘If you want to keep your local shops then please use them, and spread the word to your friends and family.’

Sharon Doran, charity director at Help 4 Special Children, says her charity shops in Cosham and Copnor will both have a one-way system, with plenty of hand sanitiser and signage for customers.

But they have faced a unique challenge in terms of space.

She said: ‘We’ve had to make more space to comply with social distancing measures, which is very difficult with a small shop floor. That has been a huge challenge for us.

‘We’re a bit anxious about reopening because the virus is still out there, but we’ve had people knocking on the windows asking when we’ll be open again, so it’s nice to know they have missed us.

‘People are used to the queueing and two metre distancing now, so at least it won’t be a huge shock to the system on Monday.’

During lockdown, Tofu Cute in Kingston Road, North End, has been running an online delivery service, as well as click and collect.

While the shop won’t be reopening on Monday, creative director Rosanna Mackney is urging people to shop local as much as they can.

She said: ‘Supporting independent traders is so important, especially at a time like this.

‘I think it’s going to be really tough for everyone, because things were already hard before coronavirus hit. I worry about what the high street will look like in a year’s time.

‘Fortunately, we’ve had plenty of online orders to keep us busy and many of those have been from Portsmouth residents, which is really encouraging for us.’

Portsmouth City Council is preparing a set of measures to support high street shops.

But council leader, Cllr Gerald Vernon-Jackson, says if we don’t use independent traders, we’ll lose them – and lose the right to mourn their disappearance.

‘So many business owners have fought tooth and nail to keep their heads above water,' he said.

‘It’s vital that local shoppers support local businesses – use them or lose them, it’s as simple as that.

‘Lots of places are at risk of closure and if somewhere goes go under, you can’t sit there saying ‘what a pity’ if you didn’t help them out when they needed it the most.’

Shaping Portsmouth, a partnership of several organisations across the city, is working to get Portsmouth shopowners back on their feet as soon as possible, with a number of upcoming initiatives.

CEO Stef Nienaltowski said: ‘We’re putting together a comprehensive strategy to support businesses in the city.

‘But it’s also about getting people off the internet and back into the shops.

‘These businesses will also need to work together, and I think we have some things in the works that can make this happen.’

Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage added: ‘Local businesses are the lifeblood of our economy and create thousands of jobs, so it will be so good to see so many coming back after lockdown.

‘We have lots of fantastic independent retailers in Gosport, Lee-on-the-Solent, Hill Head and Stubbington and by shopping locally we are supporting our local community and economy.’