It’s been 15 enormously difficult and tumultuous months since Scotland entered the first Covid lockdown.
Retail has faced some of the toughest restrictions. The majority of Scotland’s shops have been compelled to close twice – for at least 220 days – to aid the national effort against Covid. For those stores in west central Scotland or located in shopping centres the figure is even higher, given local restrictions and the lengthier lockdown for malls last summer.
Even now, with stores permitted to open, shopper footfall is down by a quarter and shop vacancies are at a six-year high and climbing. Overall, the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) estimates that shops have lost out on £4.5 billion of retail sales since the onset of the pandemic.
The situation is improving. However, shops remain unable to trade at capacity due to physical distancing constraints, and lack of footfall remains particularly acute in our city centres.
Given this backdrop, it is extraordinary and frankly bewildering that Scottish ministers could even countenance the introduction of a permanent prohibition on shops opening to customers on New Year’s Day. However, that is exactly what is happening with the publication last week of the Government’s consultation paper on banning New Year’s Day trading.
Most people I’ve talked to within the industry and business community more generally are flummoxed as to why the Government is progressing this. Unfortunately, it may be the thin end of the wedge. Those agitating for the trading ban are elsewhere in the UK, seeking the closure of shops on Boxing Day as well as fresh legislative curbs on trading hours on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. How long would it be before other sectors of the economy are in their sights?
For the SRC, it boils down to this: where there is demand from customers and the availability of staff then shops ought to be free to choose to open on New Year’s Day if they so wish.
Banning trading permanently on New Year’s Day is illiberal and short-sighted, especially considering customers can already shop online whenever they choose. Indeed, if ever a Government proposal epitomised an outdated analogue solution in a digital age this is it.
It is strange shops are being uniquely singled out while other consumer-facing businesses such as hotels, restaurants, pubs, petrol stations, and cinemas can carry on. Why is retail being treated differently to these other consumer-facing sectors, or for that matter our public services?
A permanent prohibition on trading also flies in the face of the strenuous efforts that have made over recent years – prior to Covid – to promote Scotland as a visitor destination at New Year. Are we seriously going to invite the world to come to Scotland for Hogmanay, but then prevent revellers spending their money in our stores the next day?
The economic legacy of Covid will be with us for a considerable period. It will take time for the sector to recover, to repay the various Government Covid loan schemes, and to pay down the rent and other debts incurred while trading has been halted or curbed. The recovery needs to be helped, not hobbled.
What is needed is a holistic approach from Government policymaking towards Scotland’s largest private sector employer, not a piecemeal approach exemplified by this proposed trading ban.
Ministers have shown admirable support for the sector during the crisis, especially on business rates relief and grants. The focus now should be entirely on kickstarting recovery, not closing shops.
David Lonsdale is director of the Scottish Retail Consortium
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel