ANOTHER major retailer has announced that all of its stores will reopen tomorrow - and it will take the temperatures of customers and staff.

Furniture Village closed all of its UK stores after the Government ordered all non-essential businesses to temporarily cease trading.

But following the gradual easing of lockdown restrictions last week, businesses that sell 'homeware' were able to reopen after being listed as essential.

Furniture Village, which has stores in Darlington, Teesside and North Yorkshire, said all stores would be reopen by Saturday, May 23.

In a lengthy statement online, it said it would be introducing a 'wide range' of safety measures including the taking the temperature of customers and staff.

It said: "We’re determined to do our part to help limit the spread of COVID-19, and the health and safety of our employees and our customers will always be our top priority.

"Following new government guidance, we are now able to open our stores - please see our official notification. 

"To help keep everybody safe, we’ve launched a wide range of safe shopping measures including 2 metre social distancing, limiting store numbers to give everyone plenty of space to browse and taking the temperature of all employees and customers.

"We’ve also introduced enhanced in-store cleaning routines, added hand sanitising stations, and provided our sales consultants with personal protective equipment.

"We are now also offering appointments in store with a dedicated consultant, which means you can enjoy trying out your favourite sofas, dining sets and beds with the undivided attention of your own personal furniture expert."

The stores that have reopened in our region:

  • Gateshead, Metro Retail Park
  • Stockton-On-Tees, Haverton Hill Road
  • Darlington, Darlington Retail Park
  • York, Clifton Moor Centre, Stirling Road

DFS is expected to announce further the reopening of further stores in the UK later this month as it has already resumed in parts of the country.

A spokesperson for DFS said: "Following updated government guidance that now allows homeware stores to re-open, and as part of our carefully phased re-opening plan, three of our showrooms in Bolton, Leicester and Milton Keynes re-opened on Friday 22nd May. Further stores will re-open from May 29th onwards.

"While the relatively larger size of our stores means we are well placed to welcome colleagues and customers back into stores safely, and in a way that allows for strict social distancing, we have assessed and adapted our operating processes in line with Government and British Retail Consortium guidance to ensure we can prioritise colleague and customer safety at all times."