Halfords has reopened 100 more stores across the country this week – including two in Suffolk.

Stores at the Suffolk Retail Park, in London Road, Ipswich and in Robert Boby Way, Bury St Edmunds have fully re-opened to the public with extensive social distancing measures in place.

Previously Halfords – an essential retailer – was not allowing shoppers to browse, but was still offering products for sale. It called this a ‘dark store’ model.

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Now the stores have social distancing measures in place, including restricting the amount of people coming into store, queue marshalling, safety notices and floor markings, as well as sneeze screens.

Customers will also be asked not to handle or try on products.

Graham Stapleton, Halfords chief executive, said: “With lockdown restrictions lifting many of us are starting to think about returning to work and what our commutes will begin to look like and we’ve seen a big surge in demand for e-bikes and e-scooters. More members of the public are turning to e-bikes to help them commute to work as an affordable alternative to public transport or driving. We offer a wide range of e-bikes which can facilitate journeys of up to 60 miles on one charge.

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“With our roads becoming slightly busier we are also anticipating a similar level of demand for our motoring products and services in the coming days, as people begin to use vehicles again that in some cases will have been off the road for many weeks. The expansion of our new Retail Lite model will assist us in meeting this increased demand, which in turn will allow us to continue helping to keep the UK moving.”

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