THE government has yet to confirm whether hardware stores will be allowed to remain open during the second lockdown.
It comes as Boris Johnson announced England would be plunged back into lockdown from Thursday, November 5, to try and stem the rising tide of coronavirus cases.
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As a result, all non-essential retailers such as clothes shops and all hospitality businesses will be closed until December 2.
While the physical stores will not be open, retailers are legally still allowed to still sell things online, so you should be able to do internet shopping.
Some retailers that the government deems “essential” will be allowed to stay open, including supermarkets and garden centres.
The government hasn’t yet put out a full list of stores that can remain open, so it is not yet clear whether hardware shops will make the cut.
Since garden centres are on the approved list, it seems likely that DIY retailers might also be able to operate – but it is not certain.
During the last lockdown, hardware companies such as B&Q and Homebase were allowed to keep trading.
Throughout March and April, B&Q reopened all of its stores to customers with social distancing measures in place.
Screwfix was also open for business during the last lockdown but only for click and collect orders.
Wickes opened a handful of stores for browsing, but the majority were only open for click and collect.
Homebase had reopened its stores on May 2, but with some services limited. For instance, it stopped offering kitchen design appointments, key cutting and some hiring options including Bathstore and Rug Doctor carpet cleaners.
A spokesperson for Homebase said: “We are awaiting confirmation from the UK government on the full list of essential retailers for this second national lockdown, but expect that Homebase will be included.
“This means that stores will remain open beyond Thursday November 5 with strict safety measures in place.”
The Sun has asked the government to confirm whether hardware shops will be on the list of essential retailers that are allowed to stay open.
We’ve also contacted B&Q, Wickes and Screwfix for confirmation of their plans during lockdown.
We’ll update this article when we know more.
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This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk
