Black Country shopping centre boss looking to future as all stores reopen

Jackie Clay, centre manger at New Square shopping centre in West Bromwich said that an enhanced cleaning schedule will be carried out from this week as more shoppers are expected through the doors.

And a Bank Holiday event is being planned too, with details being revealed in the coming weeks.

She said: “We’ve remained open providing essential services to the public since lockdown began, but we’ve really missed all our tenants that were unable to open and customers who couldn’t visit us during this period.

“We already have a number of Covid safety measures in place that we implemented after the initial lockdown last year, such as markers for social distancing, installing hand sanitising stations and removing outdoor seating.

“These will remain in place and we’ll also be ramping up our cleaning schedules to allow for the additional footfall expected.

“In line with current guidelines, our food and drink offering is currently limited to takeaway services, however Costa, Nando’s and Subway will be able to offer outdoor seating to customers from Monday onwards. Some restaurants and the cinema remain fully closed, so we’re hoping that these will also be able to open to the public later in May if the government’s roadmap progresses as planned.

“Our customers have been amazing throughout in respecting the centre’s guidelines, such as mask wearing and have been respectful to our staff who have worked tirelessly to assist people and keep the centre running safely and efficiently.

"We want people to feel confident with the measures we’ve put in place and we’ll also be keeping everyone up to date with the latest news, including changes to opening times, on social media and the website. We’re also currently planning our first ever part digital, part on-site free family event for the May Bank holiday, with details to be revealed shortly!”