Retail Excellence has said it is 'deeply shocked and disappointed' that click and collect services will not be reintroduced until May, following the Government's announcement on new COVID-19 measures which was made yesterday evening.
“Click and collect is a lifeline for businesses, especially small independent traders, and this move will now seriously threaten the viability of hundreds of retailers around the country who were desperate for assistance and a definitive timeline from the Government," said Duncan Graham, managing director of Retail Excellence.
“We are gravely concerned about the ramifications of a decision that is not proportionate to the threat we are facing from the virus, given click and collect is safe, is largely confined to local shopping, and will not lead to added movement of people especially considering travel limits are being eased.”
'First Step On The Road Back'
He said that retailers viewed click and collect as the first step on the road back to normal trading and that this decision would cause widespread anger.
“Retailers believed that the reintroduction of click and collect services was a fair, safe and realistic first step on the road back to where they want to be," he said.
“The Government has not only denied them that, but also any kind of meaningful timeline to a full reopening of the industry. Almost 300,000 people are employed in the retail industry in Ireland, so it is unconscionable our members have been ignored like this by the Government,” Graham added.
© 2021 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. Click sign up to subscribe to Checkout.
