Gyms and other sectors including swimming pools, beauty salons, nail bars, bowling alleys and casinos were already being considered to be reopened in ‘mid-July’, which is as soon as next week.
Theatres and nightclubs look set to remain closed for the foreseeable future.
During last nights announcement from Rishi Sunak, he hinted that gyms could be reopening when answering questions regarding the new Eat Out to Help Out Vouchers.
The DUP’s Sammy Wilson joked: “I think the clothes shops might welcome it as well, as once we’ve eaten our way through a month’s half-priced meals, we might all be visiting them.”
The Chancellor replied: “Perhaps alongside ‘Eat Out To Help Out’, we can make progress on reopening our gyms, so at the same time we can deal with that side of the equation.”
Extremely disappointed the PM didn’t include gyms in his reopening announcement. Gyms are vital to mental and physical wellbeing. We’ve ensured they are safe to work and workout. @BorisJohnson please re-examine the evidence and allow people back into gyms: https://t.co/UdnaIdRfm0pic.twitter.com/DTadG1kVqf
Despite outdoor gyms being reopen since July 4th, many gym-goers and gym operators have been furious that reopening pubs before gyms sends a poor public health message.
Gyms pose a particular issue as they involve a large group of people in close proximity sharing equipment and also getting out of breath. As coronavirus is a respiratory virus this poses significant challenges.
It is likely when gyms do reopen they will require each piece of equipment to be thoroughly disinfected after use and reduced capacity numbers.
Speaking to LBC last week, Mr Johnson said: “The best way forward for the country is to get the economy moving again.”
We’re excited to hear @BorisJohnson on @LBC Radio; he expects gyms to reopen in a couple of weeks’ time. PureGym is safe and ready to welcome our members back as soon as we are allowed.https://t.co/FG8Xw2V2YI
He added: “We are going to reopen gyms as soon as we can do it in a Covid-secure way and I think that the date for reopening gyms at the moment, if we can do it, is in just a couple of weeks’ time.”
Business Secretary Alok Sharma said last month that opening gyms could be possible “at some point later on in July”.
Will you be starting up your gym membership and getting back as soon as they reopen? Let us know!
Bosses at Next have announced it is to close 11 stores by the end of the year in the latest blow to the high street.
The retail giant said of the 11 stores set to close: six are not expected to hit their targets, two are down to their locations not being developed, and three are due to agreements not being reached with their current landlords.
However, the names and locations of the 11 stores have not yet been released. The news comes after the company closed its huge store inside Westfield Stratford City, in London.
Next plc
In a statement, Next Trading said: “We expect to close 11 mainline stores this year.
“Six closures are in locations where we forecast that the store would not achieve our target margin on almost any terms; two closures are due to the site being redeveloped; three further closures are as a result of being unable to agree acceptable new terms with landlords.
“This last category includes one large store where the length of the lease proposed by the landlord, on a high fixed rent charge, was not something we could agree to.”
Next plc
Since the start of the year, a number of high street chains have announced closures across the UK, including New Look, Boots, Asda Living, Wilko and Iceland.
Some of the closures have been down to a decrease in sales, as more and more households rein in their spending during the cost-of-living crisis. Others were simply down to business decisions.
Boots revealed this year that it plans to shut 300 of its stores while Sainsbury’s, the owner of Lloyds Pharmacy, shared that it will shut its pharmacy sites located within its supermarkets.
Robert Wade (Wadey) / Flickr
Homeware brand Habitat announced it will be closing its last three remaining stand-alone sites while its owner, Sainsbury’s, confirmed its customers were increasingly making purchases online rather than in-store.
Elsewhere, frozen foods supermarket Iceland has closed 11 of its sites though it has not made any announcements to confirm the closures.
The remaining 120 Wilko store closures and dates are yet to be announced.
Meanwhile, its rival stores B&M and Poundland have taken on a number of Wilko’s site to rebrand as their own. B&M has snapped up 51 sites and Poundland 71. The deals have not automatically saved Wilko staff working at these sites from job losses, though Poundland has said it will prioritise Wilko staff for job interviews.
Another competitor, The Range has also stepped in and bought the Wilko brand, website and intellectual property. This means it can now sell Wilko products within its stores but does not include any of its physical sites.
But punters don’t need to panic just yet, as the pubs won’t close until they have been sold.
Despite the closures Spoons has also opened branches, including The Square Peg in Birmingham and The Lord Palmerston in Southsea – after undergoing major refurbishments. The chain is also redeveloping pubs in Wakefield, central Cardiff and Glasgow, to the tune of around £8 million.
Wetherspoons currently boasts around 822 branches across the UK and recently announced its busiest-ever Saturday was during the Easter Bank Holiday weekend.
Cl1kr / Flickr
The 11 Wetherspoons pubs now up for sale:
The Pontlottyn, Abertillery
The Ivor Davies, Cardiff
Spa Lane Vaults, Chesterfield
The Gate House, Doncaster
The Market Cross, Holywell
The Regent, Kirkby in Ashfield
The Mockbeggar Hall, Moreton
The Hain Line, St Ives
The Sir Norman Rae, Shipley
The Sir Daniel Arms, Swindon
The White Hart, Todmorden
These are just the Wetherspoon locations recently announced to be closing by the chain, but there are dozens more that have already closed this year.
JD Wetherspoon
The list of Wetherspoon locations that have closed are:
Greater Manchester Police have issued an update on Ronald Webster, 81, who went missing from Oldham last Thursday.
The news comes after Ronald’s grandchildren made an appeal to the public asking for help to find their beloved grandad and to ‘keep him safe’ until they, or the police can get there.
It was believed the last sightings of the grandfather-of-five were at 10.52 am on Walkers Road, in Limeside, Oldham and again at 3.45pm as he got off the 184 at Huddersfield Bus Station, on September 14th.
Family submit / ITV
However, police have confirmed a new sighting of the pensioner, known by loved ones as ‘Ronnie’, just minutes later at 3.53pm, as he entered Huddersfield Train Station.
It is believed he may have links to the Bridlington, Whitby and Scarborough areas, although officers have said they are ‘not ruling out that he may have travelled elsewhere’.
Ronald’s family shared that he had recently undergone a triple heart bypass and had medication for his heart and for epilepsy, but that he had not taken any of his medicine with him when he went missing.
His grandchildren said that this is the first time he has not come home.
#MISSING | An update on Ronald. He was last seen at 15:53pm on 14/09/23 entering Huddersfield Train Station
He is 81, around 4'11, of small build and has grey hair around the back and sides, bald on top. He has a few gaps in his teeth
At the time of his disappearance, Ronald was wearing a blue and black coat with grey trousers.
He is described as 4’11 ins with grey hair around the sides, bald on top, and uses a walking stick.
In an update, a spokesperson for GMP said: “Since Ronald was reported missing, officers have been working closely with his loved ones to understand where he might have travelled to.
Greater Manchester Police
“It is believed he may have links to Bridlington, Whitby and Scarborough, although officers are not ruling out that he may have travelled elsewhere.
“Whilst officers are continuing to review CCTV from locations of significance, they are also working with colleagues from other forces to ensure everyone is on the lookout for Ronald so we can help him return to his family safe and well.”
Anyone with information about Ronald’s whereabouts should call 101 quoting 1013 of 16/09/2023.