I took an early morning stroll around the West End of London a couple of days before non essential retailers were allowed to open to customers. I wanted to see how brands were preparing for this new world of shopping.

I had not visited central London for three months, it felt eerily quiet. Catching an early train I embarked on a solitary walk from Victoria Station past a peaceful Buckingham Palace and through Green Park, which was sleepy and idilic.

Once in Oxford Street there was an air of hustle and bustle, a sense of excitement and urgency to get things ready to go. Cleaning was a top priority, outside pavements and bins were being steam cleaned and inside people were scrubbing floors, shelves and rails all in preparation for us to feel safe to be out in the world again.

Pavements have been widened along Oxford Street and Regent Street with a myriad of signage implemented reminding us to keep two meters apart. Queuing systems are planned out along the pavements with floor stickers encouraging social distancing. There was a multitude of infographics in store windows explaining to customers what procedures will be put into effect to keep store teams and customers safe, from limiting the numbers of people in the store to asking customers to use contactless payments.

The challenge for retailers is to make customers feel welcome and encouraged to shop in a structured and hygienic environment, but also delivering an exciting retail experience.

The brands that stood out were those who shared important information and also conceived a thoughtful, creative environment understanding how we are all craving human interaction and some sort of normality.

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