UK retailers gloomy before June’s lockdown easing | ZAWYA MENA Edition – ZAWYA

UK retailers gloomy before June’s lockdown easing | ZAWYA MENA Edition – ZAWYA

UK retailers gloomy before June's lockdown easing UK retailers gloomy before June's lockdown easing | ZAWYA MENA Edition HomeBusinessArticleUK retailers gloomy before June's lockdown easing Since June 15 non-essential stores have been able to reopen to the public    A woman carrying shopping bags walks by Regent street after the reopening of retail stores, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London, Britain June 16, 2020. LONDON - British retailers remained gloomy in the run-up to a relaxation of coronavirus lockdown rules earlier this month which allowed non-essential stores to reopen to the public for the first time since March.The Confederation of British Industry said 62% of the retail chains it surveyed between May 27 and June 12 feared weak consumer demand would hamper recovery from the slump in sales of most items other than food and drink."Despite retailers working flat out to make sure they are safe and ready to open their doors, outside the grocery sector most retailers expect sales to be far below where they were this time last year," CBI chief economist Rain Newton-Smith said.The Confederation of British Industry said 62% of the retail chains it surveyed between May 27 and June 12 feared