Currys PC World, O2, Tenzing: Everything that matters this morning

Good morning and welcome to Marketing Week’s round-up of the news that matters in the marketing world today.

CurrysPCWorld

Currys PC World introduces video shopping service

Currys PC World is launching a campaign to promote its new ShopLive personal shopping service, which connects them with in-store staff via video link.

The concept has been launched with a 30-second television ad, featuring a customer using the service and chatting with an in-store expert, getting recommendations that will allow her to watch her favourite box sets, films and TV series, without ever having to leave her bed.

The advert is also airing on digital audio stations across the country through eplatforms DAX, Spotify and Octave. A Million Ads has been incorporated to allow listeners on DAX and Spotify to engage with personalised adverts to strengthen the relevance between the listener and the ShopLive campaign.

The radio campaign will run for three weeks, ending on Saturday, 4July, and is available on Octave through stations such as talkSport, KISS, Absolute Radio and Magic Radio, and on DAX through stations such as Capital FM, Heart and LBC.

Dixons Carphone customer communications and brand director Dan Rubel says: “For many years, Currys PC World’s expert colleagues in our hundreds of stores have helped consumers work out the right tech for them.

“With ShopLive, that same personal one-to-one experience is now happening every day on our website too, allowing customers to have a face-to-face video call and personalised consultation, all from the comfort of their homes.

“To spread the word about that, we’ve created an ad campaign that pivots off a real human insight – that people prefer to get their tech advice from real life people.”

O2 is the latest brand to join the Conscious Advertising Network

Telefónica UK Limited (O2) has joined the Conscious Advertising Network (CAN), strengthening its commitment to protecting the public from misinformation surrounding conspiracy theories connecting 5G with the coronavirus.

O2 has worked closely with industry partners and the government to share a range of content across social and earned media to help educate people on the facts around 5G conspiracy theories.

Recent stories of engineers being harassed by members of the public while they work on mobile masts included one particularly alarming example, when workers were abused while tending to a mast that serves the Nightingale Hospital in London.

O2 CMO Nina Bibby says: “As the first network operator to join CAN, we are marking our commitment to helping the industry establish clear ethics and practices that positively impact customers’ lives and wellbeing.

“The misinformation around 5G is just one example of the damage that fake news can cause.

“As a provider of technology, it is our responsibility to ensure it is used as a positive force for good and we look forward to working together with CAN to help tackle these industry challenges.”

Co-founder and co-chair of CAN, Jake Dubbins adds: “Now more than ever, we need to put an end to the spread of conspiracy theories that are destroying infrastructures.

“During the current pandemic, the country is reliant on networks that allow us to work safely at home and keep in touch with loved ones.

“We are excited to have O2 join us in the fight to reduce misleading and inaccurate content, and pushing for organisations to take a responsible position on this contentious issue.”

Tenzing launches its first television campaign

TenzingEnergy drink brand Tenzing is taking advantage of Channel 4’s Greenhouse Fund, which offers small and medium-sized businesses match-funded commercial airtime, to launch its first television ad campaign.

‘The Power of Nature’ will air over nine weeks, spanning June, July and August, telling the story of Sherpa Tenzing and the energising brews of Himalayan Sherpas.

Tenzing founder Huib van Bockel says: “In normal times we would not have been able to afford a campaign, but because most major brands have reduced their budgets, the advertising rates have gone down so significantly that we’re now able to air our first ever TV campaign.

“Purely from a business perspective this makes a lot of sense for us, where normally we would be drowned out by the industry titans, our healthy energising alternative can now cut through.

“When the big dogs stop barking other voices get their chance to be heard.”

Supporting the campaign on Channel 4, the brand is also targeting its key demographic on YouTube, and Google with the video.

Consumers increasingly comfortable about shopping, finds survey

Customers are increasingly comfortable about heading to shops, according to a survey from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Opinium.

The study, conducted between 12 and 15 June, found that those feeling comfortable about making purchases in-store rose to 63% for groceries (20% uncomfortable) and 41% for non-groceries (17% uncomfortable). This is up from 51% for groceries and 25% for non-groceries at the start of the May.

Visits to larger supermarkets rose from 59% (start of May) to 66%, small supermarkets from 35% to 50% and to DIY stores from 19% to 29%.

Immediately prior to stores opening, 13% of respondents intended to visit shops to browse or purchase, while 44% only intended to visit the shops if necessary.

The most popular safety measures in stores were regular cleaning (34%), compulsory hand sanitising (33%) and one-way systems (30%)

On the wearing of masks, 44% of respondents currently wear them, with a further 26% intending to wear them in stores in the future. This compared to 36% and 31%, respectively, the previous week.

BRC CEO Helen Dickinson comments: “Coronavirus is fundamentally changing our experience of shopping. The public are making their own judgements about how to stay safe and retailers have made significant investment in safety measures in stores.

“Ultimately the future of thousands of shops and millions of jobs depend on the public’s decision to go out and support shops across the country.

“Retailers have spent millions of pounds making stores safe for customers and it is essential that the initial burst of enthusiasm seen on the high streets this week continues in the months ahead.

“It will continue to be a difficult time for retail, but with the support of the public and Government, the UK’s largest private sector employer will continue to play a vital part in all our lives.”

Live Nation announces series of drive-in concerts

Live Nation Entertainment is to hold a series of drive-in events at 12 venues across the country this summer.

Utilita Live From The Drive-In has been designed to comply with all official guidelines, allowing audiences to attend the series of concerts, theatre performances, comedy shows and family experiences in a safe and responsible way.

Live performers will include Beverley Knight, the Brand New Heavies, Cream Classical, Embrace, Gary Numan, Lightning Seeds, Russell Watson, the Streets and Tony Hadley.

Audiences will be able to experience the live performances from an individual designated area, with each vehicle socially distanced from each other.

Tickets for the events, to be held in Birmingham, Bolton, Bristol, Cheltenham, Edinburgh, Leeds, Lincoln, Liverpool, London, Milton Keynes, Newmarket and Teesside, will be available at the Live Nation website from 22 June.

Live Nation Marketing Partnerships UK president Jim Campling said: “Between Utilita’s commitment to providing best in class experiences and Live Nation’s vast and established network of artists and festival organisers, this summer will see an outstanding line-up of gigs for attendees.

“We look forward to welcoming everyone back to venues and festivals soon, but in the meantime it’s been a privilege to work closely with Utilita on our first ever drive-in series for the UK.”

Thursday, 18 June

WPP makes anti-racism commitment

WPP has become the first major agency holding company to make an anti-racism commitment, saying it will fight racism and inequality and invest $30m to fund inclusion programmes.

The company has promised “decisive actions” on 12 points highlighted in the ‘Call for change’ open letter from 1,200 black advertising professionals. These include an overhaul of its hiring, retention, promotion and development practices, and the publication of its racial diversity data.

CEO Mark Read says: “Over the past three weeks, I have heard an outpouring of pain, anger and frustration from black colleagues, along with clear demands for change. This is the moment to embrace that change, and to use our creativity, our scale and our influence to make a difference in the fight against racism.

“WPP must support and elevate black employees, and those from other under-represented groups, not as a diversity and inclusion initiative but as a business and moral imperative.”

Half of businesses say they may have to lay off staff when furlough scheme ends

Half of businesses say they will need to lay off staff within three months of the furlough scheme in the UK ending, according to a YouGov survey.

Just 34% of 503 business leaders polled in late May and early June say they will have to make redundancies, while 21% say they will cut 10 or more jobs.

Around 9 million people are currently being paid under the furlough scheme, in which the government covers 80% of wages up to £2,500 a month. However, the scheme is set to end in its current form at the end of July, with employers paying an increasing share of staff’s wages until it ends in October.

While the economy is beginning to reopen, sectors including hospitality and travel remain mostly shut in order to reduce transmission of Covid-19.

One in 10 businesses say they could not operate at all if staff have to stay two metres apart or continue to work from home, while just 28% believe their business could run as effectively as it would without the rule. More than a third (38%) believe their company could run ‘largely effectively’ and another 24% ‘somewhat effectively’.

READ MORE: Half of businesses say they will have to lay off workers when furlough scheme ends

PepsiCo to retire Aunt Jemima brand over concerns about racial stereotyping

PepsiCo is retiring its Aunt Jemima brand amid mounting concerns over racial stereotypes and racial injustice following the killing of George Floyd.

Aunt Jemima is sold in the US and offers pancake mix, syrup and other breakfast foods. It is owned by the Quaker Oats company, a subsidiary of PepsiCo. It was founded in 1889 and the face of black woman, which has been updated over the years, has featured on the packaging since the early 1890s.

“We recognise Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype,” Kristin Kroepfl, chief marketing officer of Quaker Foods North America, says. “While work has been done over the years to update the brand in a manner intended to be appropriate and respectful, we realise those changes are not enough.”

The Aunt Jemima image will begin to disappear in the last three months of this year, with a name change announced at a later date.

Mars has also said it is “evaluating all possibilities” around its Uncle Ben brand. The company tells Reuters: “As a global brand, we know we have a responsibility to take a stand in helping to put an end to racial bias and injustices. We recognise that one way we can do this is by evolving the Uncle Ben’s brand, including its visual brand identity.

“We don’t yet know what the exact changes or timing will be, but we are evaluating all possibilities.”

Boohoo buys Oasis and Warehouse brands

Online fashion retailer Boohoo is buying the online businesses of the fashion brands Oasis and Warehouse as it looks to broaden its appeal among older shoppers.

The deal is worth £5.25m and comes after Boohoo bought struggling brands Karen Millen, Coast and MissPap earlier this year. Oasis and Warehouse went into administration earlier this year with the loss of 1,800 jobs and closure of all their high street stores.

The move comes as UK sales at Boohoo rose 30% year on year to £183m in the quarter to May. Worldwide sales hit £368m despite a slowdown as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic hit at the end of March and beginning of April.

Boohoo says its social media strategy and “flexible supply chain” drove its growth because it was able to pivot quickly to focus on loungewear and ‘athleisure’ during lockdowns. Boohoo is typically aimed at those ages 16 to  24 years old.

READ MORE: Boohoo swoops again to snap up Oasis and Warehouse brands

Twitter introduces voice feature

Twitter has introduced a voice feature that allows users to share audio recordings to the site in a move that it says adds a more “human touch”.

Users will be able to upload audio recordings of up to 140 seconds directly to their feed. That is alongside the text, gifs, videos and photos users can already post.

“There’s a lot that can be left unsaid or uninterpreted using text, so we hope voice tweeting will create a more human experience for listeners and storytellers alike,” says Twitter in a blog post.

“Whether it’s #storytime about your encounter with wild geese in your neighborhood, a journalist sharing breaking news, or a first-hand account from a protest, we hope voice rweeting gives you the ability to share your perspectives quickly and easily with your voice.”

The functionality is currently limited to a group of iOS users but Twitter says it will roll out the feature for iOS app users “in the coming weeks”. While some have welcomed the move, others have raised concerns over how it could be misused and how Twitter would moderate voice updates.

Wednesday, 17 June

Facebook

Facebook to let users block political ads

Facebook will allow users to turn off paid-for political and social issue ads amid heavy criticism from politicians that the social network has enabled the spread of fake news and false information.

The feature will be made available to US users from today, ahead of the US election in November, and rolled out to other countries in the autumn.

“For those of you who’ve already made up your minds and just want the election to be over, we hear you – so we’re also introducing the ability to turn off seeing political ads,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote in USA Today newspaper.

Facebook is also launching a Voting Information Centre that will include details on registering to vote, polling places and voting by mail. It will be displayed on the news feed in a similar way to the coronavirus information centre Facebook launched earlier in the year, and on Instagram later in the summer.

“Ultimately, I believe the best way to hold politicians accountable is through voting, and I believe we should trust voters to make judgments for themselves,” says Zuckerberg. “That’s why I think we should maintain as open a platform as possible, accompanied by ambitious efforts to boost voter participation.

“I believe Facebook has a responsibility not just to prevent voter suppression – which disproportionately targets people of colour – but to actively support well-informed voter engagement, registration and turnout.”

READ MORE: Facebook to let users turn off political adverts

TUI to partially restart holidays

TUI is the first operator to partially restart holidays following the easing of travel restrictions in Europe.

Partial operations to a limited number of destinations including Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland will be available from mid-June and the beginning of July. TUI anticipates remaining markets such as the UK and Nordic region will follow suit later in the summer.

Based on its current restart dates, TUI is planning to operate around 30% of its original capacity in Q4 2020.

“Together with our destination partners, TUI is well prepared for a responsible and safe relaunch of tourism activities,” the company says. “The safety, health and wellbeing of both guests and colleagues remain paramount and we are working intensively alongside both governments of the source markets and destinations to prepare our operations for safe travel.

“The safety of our guests and colleagues will not be compromised. At every step of the journey we will offer a holiday experience that is both responsible and as relaxed as possible for our guests.”

READ MORE: TUI first operator to partially restart holidays

News brands celebrate record daily readership

the guardian newspaperNational news consumption has reached a record high, according to the latest data from PAMCo, with combined print and digital readership surpassing 30 million for the first time.

Combined daily readership increased 18% between April 2019 and March 2020, with monthly and weekly national readership growing to 48 million and 45 million respectively. Digital readership was up 35% year on year (6.6 million readers) to 25 million.

The Sun has the largest reach of all print and digital related content, reaching 10.7 million people every day. This is followed by the Daily Mail (9.4 million), The Guardian (8.8 million) and Metro (6 million).

“As the global pandemic took hold at the beginning of the year millions more readers turned to sources of news, analysis and information they knew they could trust,” says Tracy De Groose, executive chair of Newsworks, the marketing body for national newspapers.

“And encouragingly for our news brands and our journalism this was at a more frequent rate than ever before. All the indications suggest that this more regular daily demand for high quality journalism has continued into the second quarter of the year.”

UK creative industries ‘on the brink of devastation’

The Creative Industries Federation has warned of a “cultural catastrophe” as newly commissioned research from Oxford Economics reveals that the UK’s creative industries are “on the brink of devastation”.

The new report projects that the creative sector will be hit twice as hard as the wider economy in 2020, with a projected GVA (gross value added) shortfall of £29bn.

Oxford Economics predicts there will be a combined revenue drop of £74bn for the UK’s creative industries this year, equal to £1.4bn a week, while 406,000 (one in five) creative jobs are expected to be lost. This is more than nine times the entire workforce of British Airways or almost triple the workforce of Asda.

In addition, the report projects the advertising and market research industries could see their turnover drop by £19bn (down 44%). The report forecasts 26% (49,000) of jobs will be lost, while spend on advertising is expected to drop by £4bn (or 17%).

Increasing pessimism over UK economic recovery post Covid-19

UK consumer confidence in the recovery of the UK economy is at its lowest since 21 March, according to the latest McKinsey & Company survey, with 62% of consumers either very or extremely concerned about the UK economy.

The survey of 1,002 adults found the percentage of those optimistic about a recovery in two to three months has dropped by 2 percentage points to 15%, while pessimism has risen significantly from 24% to 35% – an increase of 46%.

On how consumers plan to spend over the next two weeks, only two categories show an expected net increase: groceries (12%) and entertainment at home (4%).

Consumers are also making more use of discount stores and websites for basics, with 14% saying they have tried this since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak and 67% saying they will continue doing so after it subsides.

While only 1% of respondents say they are less likely to go grocery shopping in physical stores, 21% fewer say they will go to malls or undertake international travel and 20% fewer will go to the cinema, concerts and other events.

Domestic destinations will also be impacted with 9% reporting they will do less domestic travel.

Tuesday, 16 June

High Street

High street footfall up 50% as non-essential shops reopen

High street footfall was up 50.5% by 5pm yesterday compared to last Monday as non-essential shops across England opened for the first time since lockdown on 23 March. Across all retail destinations there were 38.8% more shoppers compared to last week.

In some locations consumers queued for hours to enter stores, while crowds were so large at Oxford’s Bicester Village that 3,000 people signed a petition to have the outlet retail park closed.

Springboard insights director Diane Wehrle says footfall rose “more than” anticipated yesterday, with the warm weather playing an important part.

However, when compared to the same period in 2019 high street footfall is still down 45.3%. It is also down substantially across shopping centres (42%), retail destinations (35.9%), retail parks – high street retailers (12.9%) and retail parks (9.4%), according to Springboard data.

In Northern Ireland, where non-essential stores reopened on Friday, footfall is down 44.9% compared to last year, whereas in Scotland and Wales, where non-essential shops remain closed, footfall remained down 67.5% and 54.4%, respectively.

Springboard expects retail footfall to rise over the coming weeks, with data suggesting that 32% of consumers have missed restaurants and cafes, 21% fashion retailers and 16% entertainment locations such as cinemas.

READ MORE: Queues on high streets as non-essential shops reopen in England

WhatsApp rolls out digital payments

WhatsappWhatsApp has launched a digital payments service in Brazil as the first step in a wider roll out of payment tech across the Facebook group.

Users in Brazil will be able to send money or make a purchase from a local business without leaving a chat, with payments enabled by Facebook Pay. WhatsApp users will be given a six-digit PIN or required to use fingerprint authentication to prevent unauthorised transactions.

Using WhatsApp to send money or make a purchase is free for individuals, but businesses in Brazil will pay a processing fee to receive customer payments. Going forward, the ambition is for people and businesses to be able to use the same card information across Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram.

Facebook is capitalising on the popularity of WhatsApp in emerging markets after chief executive Mark Zuckerberg outlined plans to offer the payment service in India, Indonesia and Mexico back in January. WhatsApp has 120 million users in Brazil, second only to India where it boasts 400 million users and a payment service is being trialled.

READ MORE: Facebook launches WhatsApp digital payment service

MPs call for total ban on gambling ads

A group of more than 50 MPs is calling for a total ban on all gambling advertising both on TV and online.

The Guardian reports that the cross-party group of MPs also want to end VIP schemes for customers and inducements to bet, as well as impose a £2 stake limit on online slot machines, introduce independent affordability checks, controls on gambling game design and create a new ombudsman to resolve disputes.

“They [gambling firms] have shown time and again that they will not effectively self-regulate,” says Labour MP Carolyn Harris, who leads the all-party parliamentary group on gambling-related harm. “Urgent change is needed to stop this industry riding roughshod over people’s lives.”

Harris condemns betting firms for using algorithms to identify gamblers who are spending significant sums and then invite these people to become VIPs. The report claims these programmes reward customers for losing large sums of money with ‘free’ bets, cashback on losing wagers and gifts.

The MPs also claim the Gambling Commission is “not fit for purpose” and needs to act “decisively” to abolish VIP schemes.

READ MORE: Influential group of MPs calls for total ban on gambling advertising

Deliveroo, Wagamama and Pret call on government for urgent support

DeliverooDeliveroo and 90 of its partner restaurants including Wagamama, Pret A Manger and Pizza Hut are calling on the government for urgent support to prevent mass job cuts in the restaurant sector.

The letter, which has been signed by Pret CEO Pano Christou, Wagamama CEO Emma Woods and Itsu founder Julian Metcalfe, is calling for VAT on restaurant food to be cut and the furlough scheme for restaurant workers to continue while physical distancing measures remain in place.

The partners also want the government to subsidise the pay of staff who return to work full-time while premises cannot operate at maximum seating capacity. The letter suggests that landlords should be given “mortgage holidays”, enabling them to temporarily drop rent for restaurant owners and calls for an extension of the moratorium on evictions until restaurants are running at full capacity.

Furthermore, the partners are seeking help to cover the cost of making restaurants ‘Covid-secure’ and want the government to lead a campaign to reassure consumers that restaurant food is safe.

“We are proud to be part of the UK’s restaurant sector, which delivers so much to the UK economy and local communities and is one of the most diverse and vibrant in the world,” says Will Shu, the founder and chief executive of Deliveroo.

“That is why we are urging the government to implement this package of measures to ensure that the UK’s amazing restaurant industry survives and then thrives.”

READ MORE: Deliveroo and food chains ask Boris Johnson for help during pandemic

ASA launches system to tackle scam ads

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is launching a UK Scam Ad Alert system to tackle bogus ads that leave consumers out of pocket.

Working in partnership with the major digital advertising and social media platforms, including Facebook and Google, the new system aims to get online paid-for scam ads taken down across multiple sites. Supported by the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB UK), the launch follows a three-month trial during which the tech was used to alert platforms and publishers to paid-for scam ads online.

The trial responded to ongoing concerns about online paid-for ads linking to fraudulent content, particularly crypto investments such as Bitcoin. Scam ads of this type often use false stories or doctored images of celebrities, misleadingly implying they have endorsed the service.

The ASA is launching a quick reporting form to enable consumers to report scam ads appearing in paid-for space online and will alert all participating platforms with key details of the ad. The platforms have then committed to remove the scam ad and suspend the advertiser’s account. In some cases this may mean adding them to blocklists to stop such content appearing in future.

“The overwhelming majority of ads responsibly inform and entertain their audience, but a small minority are published with criminal intent,” says ASA chief executive, Guy Parker.

“Our Scam Ad Alert system will play an important part in helping detect and disrupt these types of scams. By working closely with our partners such as Google and Facebook we can act quickly to have problem ads taken down as part of our ongoing work to better protect consumers online.”

Monday, 15 June

unileverUnilever launches climate fund

Unilever is launching a dedicated fund to combat climate change as it invests €1bn (£90.14) to be spent over the next decade.

The Climate and Nature Fund has not mapped out the entirety of its focus but projects are likely to include landscape restoration, reforestation, wildlife protection and water preservation.

The group has also set out a list of ambitious targets to minimise its harm on the planet. These include aiming for net zero carbon emissions from products across all of its brands by 2039, and from its own operations by 2030. Past 2039, any residual emissions will be balanced through purchased or self-generated offsetting.

Unilever’s CEO Alan Jope says: “While the world is dealing with the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, and grappling with serious issues of inequality, we can’t let ourselves forget that the climate crisis is still a threat to all of us. Climate change, nature degradation, biodiversity decline, water scarcity — all these issues are interconnected, and we must address them all simultaneously.”

Unilever is also aiming to have a deforestation-free supply chain within the next three years, having already certified 80% of its forest-related commodities as sustainably sourced. It will use technological advancements to achieve this goal, such as satellite monitoring, geolocation tracking and blockchain. All its suppliers will need to adhere to new agricultural codes to ensure farmers are using sustainable and regenerative practices.

Lastly, it will aim to make all of its product formulations biodegradable by 2030, and join the World Bank’s 2030 Water Resources Group to promote water preservation.

Grenfell honours three-year anniversary with campaign

Justicice4Grenfell is asking news organisations across the UK to help get the tragedy back on the news agenda.

Exactly three years on from the disaster, the organisation, which formed in 2017 to fight for justice on behalf of Grenfell Tower victims, survivors and the community, is bringing the names of the 72 Grenfell Tower victims back into the news.

It asked The Mail on Sunday, The Sun on Sunday and The Sunday Times to donate column space in print on Sunday to remember the people who lost their lives. A campaign created by agency BBH is using outdoor media donated by a number of companies across London to display the tower of names as a memorial.

This includes sites in Wembley, Westfield, Kensington, Ladbroke Grove & Holland Park – all within close proximity of the Grenfell Tower itself.

In solidarity and to demand justice for the victims of the tragedy, Justice4Grenfell is also encouraging the public to show support for the movement by resharing images on social media with the #Justice4Grenfell.

Justice4Grenfell co-founder and co-ordinator, Yvette Williams, says: “Grenfell is a symptom of urgent issues within our society. In the three years since Grenfell, the local community has been turned upside down and remains in limbo whilst those responsible continue to evade responsibility or criminal justice.”

The 2017 fire, the biggest domestic blaze since the Second World War, began in a kitchen of the tower block but due to unsafe cladding was able to engulf the whole building.

Survivors and the community are still calling for justice and answers from the government with some 246 buildings still using the same aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding.

Williams adds: “The devaluation and marginalisation of certain groups who often pay the high price for corporate and/or ideological failures that are then deemed too expensive or politically inconvenient to rectify….We cannot bring 72 beautiful people back. But we can force change to ensure these ills never happen again. May they rest in peace.”

Non-essential shops open after ‘most challenging period in history’

High StreetAll non-essential shops can re-open from today after the high street’s “most challenging period in our history”.

Speaking yesterday (14 June), prime minister Boris Johnson said: “This has been the most challenging periods for high streets and shops in our history.”

Retailers are required to introduce plastic screens at the tills and floor markings to keep shoppers two metres (6ft 5ins) apart – measures that are already a regular fixture in supermarkets.

Other measures will include pleas not to touch items unless customers intend to purchase them and decontaminating shopping baskets after each use. Retailers are promising there will be plenty of sanitiser on hand for customers. Clothes fitting and make-up are to remain suspended until further notice.

Shops planning to reopen such as Marks & Spencer and Ikea have already said that they will impose restrictions on the number of customers entering their stores.

Car showrooms and outdoor markets were allowed to reopen earlier this month. Hairdressers, nail bars and beauty salons, pubs, clubs and restaurants will, however, remain closed until at least July, because the Government says the risk of transmission is higher because of greater person-to-person contact over longer periods.

READ MORE: Shops reopening: Retailers welcome back customers after three months

England launches search for Lionhearts

The FA is launching a campaign to find 23 Lionhearts from the English public to celebrate those going above and beyond during  Covid-19.

During a summer in which England should have been supporting their footballers, the spotlight will instead shine on a different squad of 23 people who have stepped up.

The FA is calling on the public to nominate worthy individuals to join this new squad of Lionhearts whether that’s somebody who has saved lives, inspired communities, undertaken fundraising efforts or simply entertained others during coronavirus.

Each of the 23 Lionhearts’ stories will be told across England social media channels. Gareth Southgate and Phil Neville have joined captains Harry Kane and Steph Houghton, as well as strikers Marcus Rashford and Nikita Parris in kickstarting the call to action.

A panel including both senior England managers will then select 23 Lionhearts. Nominations can now be submitted at TheFA.com/Lionhearts with submissions open until 23.45 on Sunday 12 July, the day Euro 2020 should have reached its climax at Wembley Stadium.

Manchester City launches documentary ahead of return to Premier League

Manchester City is launching a three-part series in the lead up to the start of the Premier League.

The documentary shows the club preparing for the return of football since its suspension due to the coronavirus.

City Restart chronicles an unprecedented period in City’s history with exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the club’s players and staff. It details the installation of testing procedures, the team’s return to training and the first match behind closed doors.

The first episode will be available to watch on all Manchester City’s digital platforms, including City+, website, app, YouTube, Facebook Watch and Instagram TV.

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