Great support for Crawley’s traders

Residents adhered to social-distancing guidelines and in some cases joined long queues for their favourite outlets.

JPIMedia, the publisher of the Crawley Observer, is standing firmly behind our traders with its #supportlocal campaign.

The County Mall shopping centre in Southgate Avenue reported ‘a really positive day’ and said that shoppers responded well to a series of safety measures to protect staff and customers.

Crawley & Gatwick Chamber of Commerce said it is ‘crucial’ that shoppers support smaller independent businesses as well as the large chains. A spokesman for the County Mall said: “We had a really positive day here at County Mall. Shoppers adapted really well to the new systems in place, adhering to the one-way system around the centre as well as in the stores. We have had great feedback from shoppers saying they felt comfortable and safe with the measures especially with the floor markers to prompt them and the hand sanitiser stations at their disposal. Our retailers have made a tremendous effort inside their units to reconfigure their layouts to allow shoppers to flow around in a safe and orderly manner. 
“Retailers who operate across two floors have implemented an entrance only level and an exit only level which has helped us to keep the footfall moving around the centre.

“We anticipated some retailers would be hugely popular so we worked together with the in-store security teams to implement queue management systems which worked really well.

“We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to our shoppers for their patience and cooperation as we all adapt to these new ways of shopping.”

Geoff Williamson, President of Crawley & Gatwick Chamber of Commerce, said: “We as a Chamber are delighted to witness the businesses reopening their stores.

“It is now crucial that we all look to support both small independent shops along with large chains whilst following their social distance procedures to maintain the safety of all the staff and customers.

“The Crawley & Gatwick Chamber of Commerce has supported Crawley businesses for 80+ years and will help tirelessly to work towards rebuilding Crawley.”

British Chambers of Commerce co-executive director Hannah Essex, said: “As firms begin to re-open, they will need the support of their local community now more than ever. Shopping locally where possible, buying gift cards for later dates and leaving positive reviews can all help firms stay afloat so they’re still trading when the virus subsides.” Hannah said that as commercial premises start to reopen for the first time since lockdown, owners will make every effort to keep customers and staff safe, navigating new ways of working: Whether it’s serving customers behind screens, setting strict two-metre distancing or deep cleaning premises more regularly, this new normal will take time to adjust to.”