The case for garden centres and high streets reopening – Jayne Dowle

However, everyone wants to know the answer to the big question – when can our nation of shopkeepers open again? There are sensible reasons for the reluctance of government Ministers to give a firm date, but this abeyance cannot remain indefinitely.

And it’s becoming clear that if one thing unites senior Tory women, it’s the love of a good garden centre.

Former Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers has been arguing that it’s illogical to allow supermarket chains to sell plants and flowers, but not give plant nurseries the opportunity to reopen.

She’s backed up by ex-Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom who tells anyone who will listen that garden centres should be a government priority.

Indeed, this sector does present a strong case, especially as DIY stores selling plants can now allow customers in. Our £1.4bn horticultural industry – and we have many long-established family businesses in our own region – is the envy of the world.

Perhaps only the Dutch can rival our national obsession with gardens; but the industry is facing ruin. The lockdown could not have come at a worst time of year – spring.

Thousands upon thousands of plants may have to be destroyed because they can’t be sold. The Horticultural Trades Association fears that the value of lost plant sales in the UK will be £687m by the end of June, and £1.2bn by the end of December.

It’s heartbreaking for the growers and frustrating for consumers, who normally would be stocking up for the summer. Our bath has been requisitioned as a temporary greenhouse as I struggle to grow some annuals from seed.

Horticulture does present a special case; unlike any other industry, the perishability and seasonality of plants mean that the sector potentially faces a total stock write-off. The HTA warns that hundreds of UK growers face complete loss of income and cannot afford to take on loans.

Ms Villiers says that garden centres should be allowed to reopen because, typically, they are designed on a large footprint which allows for strict social distancing measures. I agree. As soon as their gates open, I’ll be in there with my trolley. And my family will get their bath back.

I’ll also be making a beeline for other independent stores which I’ve tried to support during the lockdown. Our corner shop has been an absolute blessing, even stocking toilet rolls when everywhere else had run out. Greengrocers have continued to sell the freshest produce without the trauma of standing in a supermarket queue.

And butchers, of course. My dad, who is shielded due to heart problems, fancied braised liver and kidneys for his tea. Where did we finally track down the kidneys? At the butchers in the village, doing booming business throughout this crisis.

At least they were open. I was talking to my friend Claire the other day. She owns The Closet Queen, a popular fashion store in Barnsley. Whilst she and her team have been busy with online orders since March, she is keen to get back into her town centre shop and has been devising plans for social distancing and safe shopping.

She’s ordered masks, gloves, sanitising hand gel (for staff and customers), is organising trading hours so that staff can work at the correct distance over two floors, and planning to allow only three customers into the shop at once. In addition, she’s instigating a click and collect service, so customers can pick up their purchases at the door. “As soon as the Government gives us the green light, we will open,” she says.

Responsible independent retailers, like Claire and thousands of others, know that their biggest asset is their reputation. The last thing they want to do is put their customers at risk, or their staff.

What happens next with our independent traders has implications not for just for business owners and their families, but for the entire retail landscape.

Our high streets were suffering before this pandemic hit; they shouldn’t be regarded as collateral damage in the aftermath.

When the time comes to address the legacy of coronavirus, surely no government would wish to look out over a desert of empty and shuttered town centres and home-grown industries brought to their knees?

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