First look at Doncaster high street jewellery shopping experience ahead of reopening

That’s life after lockdown for a Doncaster jeweller which joins retailers across the town preparing to reawaken on Monday (June 15).

Family-owned jeweller, Beaverbrooks which has a store in Doncaster, has revealed a video of its new shopping experience- which includes floor markings and physical boundaries to ensure safe social distancing for customers and colleagues, daily temperature checks for team members, and hand sanitizer stations at the entrance and throughout the store which will be mandatory for shoppers to use before entering.

Each store team will have a customer host to greet shoppers upon arrival and a designated team member to provide personal service and assistance during their visit.

Aside from the host, colleagues will not be required to wear face masks or PPE, but will have the option to do so if they choose, to prevent the risk of spreading the virus.

Masks and gloves will also be available for customers should they choose to wear them, and individual appointments will be permitted for special purchases such as engagement rings, but will be limited to the beginning and end of the day.

The brand’s plans will see 58 of its 70 UK stores reopen on Monday, including the Doncaster branch.

The jeweller has also outlined the measures it has put in place to allow customers to try on jewellery safely, as it believes sentimental items and considered purchases such as gifts should be seen by customers up close and in person, so they can get a feel of the precious metals, gemstones, diamonds and watches.

Anna Blackburn, managing director at Beaverbrooks, said: “As always, the safety of our people and customers is our number one priority, so we have been working hard behind the scenes to put measures in place to protect them when we reopen our doors.

“Over the past few months, we have been developing comprehensive plans for this reopening, which put safety at the top of the list while ensuring we are able to resume the high level of personal service our customers expect.

“In addition to taking key steps to ensure customers will be able to shop in a safe environment, it was important to us that people would still be able to try on their jewellery before buying – particularly for sentimental items.

“An engagement ring is one of the most important purchases you’ll ever make and to be able to see the sparkle and brilliance of a diamond for yourself and fall in love with the ring is so important – it’s a special moment and an experience you can only really get by being there in person.

“The introduction of our jewellery cleaning process and increased hygiene measures will mean customers can do this safely, allowing them to continue to celebrate those special moments that are perhaps more important now than ever before.

“It has been a challenging and uncertain time for all of us, but we are feeling optimistic about the future, our 960 colleagues are looking forward to reopening our doors to welcome customers again next week.”

Beaverbrooks was one of the first retailers to take the decision to close its stores and online warehouse operations ahead of the Government’s official announcement in March.

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