Selling groceries to keep shop open during Shutdown

Pennywise

Duxidot said:

Help ! Does anybody knOw if I can remain open ?
i am a confectionery shop, selling sweets, chocolates,  snacks,  greetings cards stationery stamps etc

Thank you in advance

The proposed legislation specifically allows "Food retailers, including food markets, supermarkets, convenience stores and corner shops." to stay open.  See Part 3 paragraph 33.

jon81uk

Duxidot said:

Help ! Does anybody knOw if I can remain open ?
i am a confectionery shop, selling sweets, chocolates,  snacks,  greetings cards stationery stamps etc

Thank you in advance

All of these can stay open

Food shops Off licenses and licensed shops selling alcohol (including breweries). Pharmacies and chemists. Newsagents. Hardware stores. Building merchants, and building services. Petrol stations. Car repair and MOT services. Bicycle shops. Taxi or vehicle hire businesses. Banks/cash points/building societies Post offices. Funeral directors. Laundrettes and dry cleaners. Dental services, opticians, audiology services, chiropody, chiropractors, osteopaths and other medical or health services, including services relating to mental health. Vet surgeons and pet shops. Agricultural supplies shop. Storage and distribution facilities Car parks. Public toilets. Garden centres.

So it depends if you are classed as a "food shop" or not.

Grumpy_chap

If not a "food shop", Duxidot may be classed as "newsagents".
Wonder whether they opened during first lock-down?  If so, would suggest they can remain open this time around.
I know near where I live, some shops were marginal during the first lockdown and seemed to take the approach to open unless the Council or Police "had a word", which obviously worked as the policy was adopted of "co-ercive compliance in preference to legal enforcement".  Will the same approach apply this time?

maisie_cat

MattMattMattUK said:

thepurplepixie said:

Well true, my GD (3 years old) would say ice cream was a priority.  I did think a shop with just ice cream and sticks of rock managing to stay open was surprising.

I would argue that ice cream is no less or more essential than alcohol, or indeed cake, crisps, sweets etc. That seems to be the problem with many of the definitions of "essential", as Drakeford has found out.

If they were really only allowing "essentials" then only items vat rated as essential would be sold, but that would be so depressing, like having no pub to go to in Pembs

Dr_Crypto

Drakeford showed the madness of attempting to define essential when dealing with shops selling a range of goods including food. 

Anamox

My local MP was loudly and proudly spewing about his pub selling groceries throughout the lockdown, it became a nice little business to be fair. One would like to think if an MP did this with a pub, your shop's owner is likely going to be ok doing it with a gift shop.