Leamington ready to welcome more shoppers back to town centre as lockdown restrictions are lifted further

From Monday (June 15) many major chain stores are set to re-open in and around The Parade and in the Royal Priors shopping centre.

And smaller independent shops are set to follow suit.

At present only shops selling food and other groceries, Wilko in the Royal priors, some independent cafes, and pharmacies including Boots in the Parade are open.

Steph Kerr, executive director of Business Improvement District (BID) Leamington, said: “We can’t wait for our town centre to gradually open up more.

"Local businesses have been doing a huge amount of work behind the scenes to prepare for this, including investing in safety measures to support social distancing, procuring PPE, and adjusting store policies on access, cleaning and more.

"This will also be supported by changes to the public realm and highways which will be implemented in the coming weeks as we transition.

“We are so proud of how our local businesses have adapted throughout this process and want to encourage the local community to support them whole heartedly.

"This is just the beginning of a journey we will all make together, so we also want to foster the spirit of kindness, patience and understanding as we continue to adapt.

"There has never been a more important time to love Leamington, and we will continue to make information available on town centre websites and social media.”

A ‘we will be back video’ can be viewed on the Royal Leamington Spa Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=261929035049932Warwick District Council has announced that it will be extending free parking at the 27 car parks it operates in and around Leamington, Warwick and Kenilworth until August.

For more information about shops in the town centre visit www.loveleamington.com