Intu plans gradual reopening of shopping centres

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
May 26, 2020

Intu has outlined the safety measures it plans to implement across its 14 shopping centres to support the gradual reopening of non-essential retail stores.

Specific plans have been drawn up for each mall, including Intu Metrocentre in Gateshead and Intu Trafford Centre in Greater Manchester, in line with Government guidelines.

But a series of central, common principles will be applied across the entire portfolio, such as social distancing and hygiene procedures.

Intu said all staff will be given personal protective equipment (PPE) and there will be limits on the number of people and cars allowed into each centre at a time. To support this, some parking bays will be closed and new measures will be introduced, including one-way systems and floor stickers.

Meanwhile, enhanced hygiene regimes that were introduced at the start of the outbreak will continue. Key areas and touchpoints like escalators, toilets and keypads will be cleaned more regularly and hand sanitation stands will remain at entrances and other visible locations.

Intu said it is also working with its retail tenants to help them reopen safely, with plans including queuing zones in the malls to ensure social distancing can be maintained inside stores.

Matthew Roberts, chief executive, explained: “Experts from across Intu have formed a specialist taskforce who have considered everything we need to run our centres as safely as possible, with a series of central, common principles for the portfolio and individual plans for each centre. 

“This includes working with our brand customers and providing them with all the support they need to reopen safely, as well as new social distancing and hygiene procedures to keep everyone who visits or works in our centres safe.”

The announcement comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed that non-essential stores will be allowed to reopen from 15 June if they are “Covid-19 secure”.