Bookstore chain Eason plans to close its seven stores in Northern Ireland. The Bookseller reported that on March 23 the company had shuttered bookshops in Belfast, Newtownabbey, Lisburn, Bangor, Enniskillen, Derry and Coleraine as the Covid-19 crisis hit, furloughing all 144 staff members. Eason has now launched a consultation process on shutting the locations permanently.
In a statement, the company cited the pandemic as well as Brexit for accelerating "ongoing challenges to a business that has seen revenues decline by more than 30% since 2016," the Bookseller noted.
Managing director Liam Hanly said: "Entering into consultation with our Northern Ireland colleagues about proposals to close the stores in the north of Ireland is very regrettable but it reflects the reality of the serious challenges and growing losses facing the business, which would be unsustainable. The retail sector has been one of the hardest hit by Covid-19 and for us it has made a very challenging situation in Northern Ireland considerably worse. We believe the actions we are taking are necessary at this time to ensure our wider business has a sustainable future and to create clarity for our employees in Northern Ireland as soon as possible."
The announcement has no impact on the firm's 53 stores in Ireland, most of which have now reopened, the Bookseller wrote. However, the company has already slashed around 100 jobs from the workforce there due to the impact of the pandemic. Eason said that since reopening, some smaller shops had seen an increase in sales of up to 30% over last year, but city center branches were experiencing shortfalls of 40%-50% due to social distancing measures, lack of footfall and public transport restrictions.
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Booksellers in the U.K. are preparing for new rules, which were officially issued in the House of Commons on July 14, that make face masks compulsory in shops and supermarkets, beginning July 24. The Bookseller reported that some bookstores have expressed "misgivings, particularly should they be required to enforce the government's new rules."
Laura McCormack, head of policy and public affairs at the Booksellers Association, commented: "The BA welcomes measures from the government to keep bookshop staff and their customers safe. However urgent clarity is needed on how this measure will work in practice in order to allow for consistency across the high street. We would urge the government in Westminster to follow the approach of the Scottish government in allowing exemptions for staff who are able to operate with two meter physical distancing or who are serving behind Perspex screens."
Andy Barr, owner at Belgravia Books in London, said, "People willingly go to hand sanitize, but the people who come in asking, 'Do I need to wear a mask?', are visibly relieved when I say 'No'.... Another thing about this is that people don't really like being told what to do."
Richard Drake, owner of Drake the Bookshop in Stockton, observed: "In general people have been pretty good at self-policing when it comes to hand-sanitizer and even when asked they have politely complied. I'm hoping the same will happen when it comes to masks. We have a contact number from the council for any concerns and I will be getting in touch again to ensure someone on the other end of that number will be available still. Fingers crossed things will continue to be smooth, but only time will tell."