Greggs to reopen some stores despite lockdown

Bakery Greggs has announced its intention to open some stores despite the coronavirus lockdown.

Greggs said it plans to open 20 stores on a trial basis next week, run by staff who have volunteered to operate under social distancing measures.

The initial 20 stores will be in and around the Newcastle area, however chief executive Roger Whiteside has said he intends to open all stores by June 8.

MORE: Advice to shops on how to safely reopen after lockdownGreggs has a number of outlets across the region, including a number in Norwich city centre, as well as Thetford, Dereham, Swaffham, Fakenham, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft and Beccles.

Mr Whiteside said he hopes the trial will inform the business about which changes need to be made to operate safely and meet social distancing guidelines.

He said he believes the trial, which will involve a limited product range and shorter trading hours, will take at least two weeks.

It comes after firms such as B&Q have reopened their doors to shoppers, while John Lewis has said it hopes to reopen all its shops next month.

A Greggs spokeswoman said: “We want to play our part in getting the nation back up and running again, so we are planning to conduct a limited trial with volunteers to explore how we can reopen our shops with new measures in place that keep our colleagues and customers as safe as we can when we re-open at scale.”

Rivals such as Burger King, Pret a Manger and KFC have already reopened a small number of sites for takeaway and delivery.