The outbreak of COVID-19 caused the Government to issue many preventative measures in a bid to limit the spread of the virus; including the closure of non-essential shops. This group, however, are now allowed as of today to reopen their doors as lockdown measures ease – providing they are compliant with social distancing rules.

As people queue for hours outside high street retailers such as Primark, Simon Manthorpe, CEO of EOS Leisure – a leading CBD manufacturer with products stocked in Boots and Holland & Barrett – discusses the continued importance of online sales during this time:

“Here at EOS Leisure, we rely on our e-commerce platforms as much as our footfall into shops to help move our products. E-commerce has long been part of our approach, in-keeping with the general movement of the retail industry and FMCG in particular. Over the last few months, however, as shops shut and people remained in their homes, it became incredibly important for consumer facing firms to bolster their online presence more than ever.

Even as shops reopen, those businesses who were quickly able to adapt and strengthen their e-commerce arm will fair better. The Coronavirus crisis has altered ‘normal’ life and even as a number of consumers embrace shops re-opening, the majority will continue to shop from the safety of their homes until the threat of infection is completely obliterated. The retail industry was already experiencing a trend in consumers turning to online shopping, and the COVID-19 crisis has acted as a catalyst to encourage this move. Businesses owners, therefore, are wise to ensure they have platforms in place to cater for the rise of e-commerce and ensure they weather the impact of Coronavirus.”