Wickes to reopen six stores on a trial basis

Home improvement retailer Wickes is trial re-opening at six stores with strict new social distancing measures in place designed to protect colleagues and customers.

Stores in Pudsey, Cheltenham, Preston, Sevenoaks, Cricklewood and Hailsham will open to the public on Thursday 30th April.

A limited number of customers will be allowed in the shop at any one time, with signage and floor markers posted inside to help customers to stay two metres apart.

Each store has also installed perspex screens at the tills and service stations, and payment will be card or contactless only to minimise physical interaction. Sanitising stations have been installed around the store, and colleagues on the shop floor will be issued with PPE.

In addition to the new social distancing measures, the trial stores will operate shorter opening hours of 7am to 6pm Monday to Saturday, opening at 7.00am and closing at 6.00pm. Sundays will follow normal trading hours of 10am to 4pm.

Although an essential retailer under the hardware category, Wickes closed its stores in March in order to safeguard customer and colleague safety, continuing to serve customers through its website.In a statement, the company noted that refunds will be unavailable until all Wickes stores open fully, in accordance with the retailer’s extended policy.

Services such as timber cutting, and paint mixing will not be available during the trial period and Showroom Kitchen & Bathroom design appointments are only available to customers virtually.