Ipswich Town’s Planet Blue store at Portman Road will re-open on Friday, July 3 after a lengthy closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Fans will be greeted by a new-look store, with the club making sure they adhere to all the latest COVID-19 safety requirements and advice.
The club will shortly be launching the new home kit for the 2020/21 season, so will be keen to have their flagship store open for that.
MORE: ‘It’s a bit special’ - high hopes as Town look to launch new kits in June
“I’ve been working relentlessly to ensure fans have had full access to the Town product range via our online store and now it’s time to focus on getting the superstore back up and running,” Lee Hyde, Town’s director of retail operations, told the club website.
“We’ve made a number of significant changes to the store operation and we’re doing everything we possibly can to ensure the safety of our staff and customers.”
Some of the new rules and changes are...
- Store trading hours initially will be reduced to 10am-4pm, Monday to Saturday.
- The number of customers allowed in the store at any one time will be limited to 15 people
- There will be socially distanced queue markers both inside the store at till points and outside the main entrance to guide those queuing
- All customers visiting the store will be asked to follow social distancing guidelines, both on the shop floor and at the till points
- Floor tape markings will suggest socially distanced positions in order to shop each area
- All customers accessing the store will be asked to use provided hand sanitising stations throughout their visit
- Hand sanitiser will be provided upon entry, upon accessing the first floor and at all till points
- Some staff may be wearing face coverings – these are provided and are optional
- Customers will be requested to shop solo, where possible, other than those with children
- Staff will be constantly cleaning high touch-points within the store and will have a much increased cleaning rota in place throughout the day
- There will be a lot of additional signage in-store, reminding customers of the new procedures
- The two staircases accessible within the store and some shop floor areas will be one-way only
- Protective screens will be installed at all till points to protect both customers and staff colleagues
- There will be no access to changing areas although this will be continually reviewed
- The store lift will be limited to two people at any one time
- Customers will be encouraged to use debit/credit cards only, where possible, with the new contactless limit available to £45
- There will be no seating available within the store
- Some areas of the store will be de-stocked to allow for new layouts
- All returned products will be quarantined for a period of 72-hours prior to being made available for sale
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