
What counts as essential retail NOW? Garden centres can stay open but hundreds of thousands of shops that had managed to stay open will close for at least six weeks
- All non-essential shops must close their doors for the next six weeks
- Yet another blow for the UK high street which is already on its knees
- More than 550,000 firms will close, according to real estate adviser Altus Group
Hundreds of thousands of retailers face weeks more with their doors closed after the Government closed them for six more weeks under the new lockdown.
It is a new blow for the UK high street in 2021, with the sector still on its knees after the horror show that was 2020.
As with the previous two lockdowns only those shops which sell items or provide services that people cannot live without will be allowed to operate.
The vast majority of these are in food and drink and medical supplies, but they also extend to retails involved in keeping businesses going.
Many of these businesses have already been closed since Christmas in regions placed into Tier 4.
But the lockdown will see more than 550,000 business closures in England, according to real estate adviser Altus Group.
The company said this included 401,690 non-essential shops, 64,537 pubs or restaurants, 20,703 personal care facilities and 7,051 gyms or leisure centres.
The Government tonight released guidance including a list of what constitutes essential and non-essential businesses.
Essential businesses include food shops, supermarkets, pharmacies, garden centres, building merchants and off-licences.
Among those on the non-essential list are clothes shops, car showrooms, betting shops and mobile phone shops.
Business leaders have reacted with despair to the fresh lockdown announced by Boris Johnson amid fears that companies may not last until the spring.
British Chambers of Commerce director general Adam Marshall said: ‘Businesses will understand why the Prime Minister has felt compelled to act on the spiralling threat to public health, but they will be baffled and disappointed by the fact that he did not announce additional support for affected businesses alongside these new restrictions.
Clothes shops are non-essential retailers and will have to be closed for the next six weeks of lockdown

But supermarkets will be allowed to remain open for essential food shopping
‘The lockdowns announced in England and Scotland today are a body blow to our business communities, hard on the heels of lost trade during the festive season and uncertainty linked to the end of the Brexit transition period.
‘Tens of thousands of firms are already in a precarious position, and now face a period of further hardship and difficulty.
‘Billions have already been spent helping good firms to survive this unprecedented crisis and to save jobs. These businesses must not be allowed to fail now, when the vaccine rollout provides light at the end of this long tunnel.
Roger Barker, director of policy at the Institute of Directors, said: ‘The resurgence of the virus is aggravating the pain for businesses.
‘For companies in sectors like tourism and hospitality, the vaccine-led recovery still seems a long way off. Even for organisations that can operate remotely, the closure of schools and nurseries could cause significant staffing headaches.
‘The Treasury must now bolster support for the worst affected sectors. In particular, it should seek to reinforce the discretionary grant scheme allocated through local authorities, which has helped to reach those who have fallen through the gaps.
‘It will also be crucial to smooth the cliff-edge in support that’s fast approaching in the spring.’