Episode 3: Locked down and Locked out, how will pubs and high street shops survive?
Will a visit to the pub or a wonder down the high Street ever be the same again after Covid 19?In today’s podcast, Esther McVey MP asks whether will we ever socialise and shop the same after Covid-19. Coronavirus has created a new community spirit, but will socialising in groups be a thing of the past? How do we save our pubs and the small shops on the high street? Nicola Newton has worked in the hospitality industry for 30 years. Then 3 years ago she fulfilled a dream, owning a pub and hotel with her family, the Rose & Crown in Knutsford. Looking forward to their best trading year after 3 years of building up her business Covid-19 literally pulled the rug from under their feet. Now she worries for the very survival of pubs, thinking many in the industry could be staring down the barrel of a gun. And Fran Bishop, finalist in the 2016 Apprentice, who now runs a chain of children’s shops called Pud thinks it’s only by creating your own identity and community that you will stay in business. She’s pushing ahead with sales online but thinks without radical change to business rates the high street won’t survive. Check out the Rose & Crown website here: https://www.knutsfordroseandcrown.co.ukCheck out The Pud Store website here: https://thepudstore.com