Liverpool City Centre reopens – here’s what to expect

Non-essential stores are open from Monday, June 15, with takeaway food for collection, new guidelines are in place to help us all stay safe in Liverpool city centre..

1 – What can we expect? 

It’s been nearly three months since we last strolled through the city centre, but it’s going to be a different kind of retail experience, with visitors urged to think carefully before making their journey as part of our healthy return to the high street. Liverpool City Council, Liverpool BID Company, Marketing Liverpool, Liverpool ONE, Albert Dock and Merseyside Police are all working together to ensure the experience is as safe as possible. 

As Liverpool goes into this next phase, extensive preparation has taken place. Deep-cleaning has ensured the city centre complies with government rules and regulations, and social distancing guidelines are clearly marked, with new queuing zones outside shops.

While we get used to these new systems, we’re all asked to be patient, and give ourselves plenty of time to shop.

2 – Staying safe

For visitors to the city centre, Public Health England says you should wear a face covering inside stores, with exceptions made for very young children, and those with disabilities or breathing difficulties. 

Retail workers will be wearing face coverings at the discretion of individual stores, with customers keeping a safe 2-meter distance from staff and other visitors, and hand sanitiser facilities available.

In Liverpool ONE, shoppers are reminded to #loveyourliverpool by following directions and markings as part of a new pedestrian system. This will direct shoppers to stick to the left at all times, with easy-to-follow signs so we can enjoy peace of mind with plenty of socially distanced space to shop. 

During your visit, you’ll see touch-points including escalators and hand rails being sanitised every hour, and only people who share a household sharing lift facilities.

Regularly cleaning your hands and avoiding touching your face is still highly effective in stopping the spread in between visiting shops and handling merchandise. You’ll find hand sanitiser stations signposted and located around Liverpool ONE, along with limited, free to use bathroom facilities. In case of queues, it’s well worth taking a small hand sanitiser with you.

Monday is a big day as some stores in Liverpool City Centre reopen. ? We’ve been in today to see what’s new.

Lots of measures in place from @LpoolBIDcompany @lpoolcouncil @VisitLiverpool @Liverpool_ONE. ?

INFO ?https://t.co/tXyESybKr8 pic.twitter.com/oio7Hwd4OR

— The Guide Liverpool (@TheGuideLpool) June 11, 2020

3 – What stores are opening?

From Monday 15 June, you’ll find the following Liverpool ONE shops open with guidelines in place:

Adidas; Arket; Auntie Anne’s; Bluecoat; Boss; Card Factory; COS; David M Robinson; Debenhams; Dirty; Footasylum; Footlocker; Fragrance Shop; Game; GAP; Goldsmiths; H Samuel; HMV; Hollister; Hotel Chocolat; JD; Kate Spade; Kiehl’s; Lego; LFC Superstore; Lindt; L’Occitane; Paperchase; Penhaligon’s; Pull & Bear; Reiss; ROX; Samsung; Sblendid; Schuh & Schuh Kids; Skechers; Sports Direct; Superdry; Ted Baker; Tessuti; The Body Shop; The Entertainer; The North Face; Topshop/Topman/Miss Selfridge; VANS; Waterstones; Whitewall Galleries and Zara.

Stores already open include Holland and Barrett; Home Bargains; Nespresso; Next; Specsavers, with most remaining shops open by August 1 2020.

While M&S has remained open for groceries, you’ll now be able to shop in the clothing department, without changing rooms at the moment, but with staff around the store to make the new measures as easy to follow as possible, and hand sanitiser available.

The Metquarter will also be welcoming customers, with customer service officers around the stores, visual cues on floor, and a one-way system system to make entrance and exit safer and easier.

4 – Pick-up some food & drink

While restrictions mean restaurant and cafés remain closed except for home delivery, you’ll find a host of your favourite food and drink available for takeout collection by pre-ordering from their social media accounts.

At Liverpool ONE you can enjoy Krispy Kreme; Heavenly Desserts; Pizza Hut; Pret a Manger; Wagamama and Wok & Go serving selected online menus; with Nando’s and Five Guys taking your orders from Queen’s Square.

Take a walk down Bold Street for some incredible, independent food including Sushi from Naked Noodle; Coffee, Breakfast and Lunch from Little Shoe Café;  and Falafel wraps, iced coffee, ice cream and pastries from Maray.

Keep up-to-date with the latest news on takeaway and delivery with all the city’s favourite food and drink found in The Guide Liverpool Directory.

Here’s what to expect in @Liverpool_ONE as it starts to reopen on Monday. ?

Lots of advice about Liverpool City Centre measures here
?https://t.co/WQqVVAdT14 pic.twitter.com/RQY5yfSxuY

— The Guide Liverpool (@TheGuideLpool) June 13, 2020

5 – How to plan your journey

While it’s brilliant to see our favourite shops re-opening, it’s worth keeping in mind that this new shopping experience will require patience, with waiting times to enter stores, queuing systems in place, and limited toilet facilities.

We’re not quite there yet in terms of safety, and the steps we take to get back to normal need to be small, with visits to communal spaces like shops kept to a minimum. So, if you can wait a little longer, stay at home and stick to using online delivery services until restrictions ease up.

Store hours opening will be between 10am and 5pm, Monday to Saturday, so shop staff can avoid travelling at peak travel times, with Sunday opening between 11am and 5pm as normal.

If you’re taking the car, there’s 58 car parks opening in and around the city centre, including city centre car parks. To access local train and bus services, Visit Merseytravel and Arriva Buses for the latest guidelines. Face coverings must be worn on all public transport.

You can find all the latest store information and guidelines direct from Love Your Liverpool .

For details on food and drink pre-order and collection, visit The Guide’s Directory which includes social media accounts.

For all the latest on Liverpool’s reopened stores, keep up-to-date @TheGuideLpool and find food and drink deliveries located in The Guide Delivery Directory.