Shops urged to close early over riot fears

Shops have been urged to close early in areas where far-right gatherings are planned following vandalism, arson and looting in parts of the country.

The Association Of Convenience Stores, which represents around 50,000 small retailers in the UK, said it was advising its members to “err on the side of caution” following riots in recent days.

Chief executive James Lowman told Sky News shopkeepers were “very, very concerned” about further disorder, amid reports up to 30 further gatherings are planned for Wednesday evening.

Businesses – including shops and hotels providing accommodation for asylum seekers – have been attacked by rioters during the disturbances.

Several stores have also been hit by looting, including branches of Greggs and Lush in Hull, and a Sainsbury’s Local supermarket in Manchester.

It came as fellow trade body the British Retail Consortium held emergency talks on the riots on Wednesday.

Police and government representatives also attended the meeting, which mainly focused on safety measures. Further talks are planned if the riots continue.

Mr Lowman said retailers faced a dilemma over whether to close early for the day, as not all planned gatherings would necessarily go ahead and some previous disturbances had happened at random.

He added: “As well as police information, you’ve also got misinformation online, rumours, and so on.

“So it’s really difficult for retailers to make that decision. We would always urge retailers to err on the side of caution to make sure that they and their colleagues are safe.”

He added that “mercifully” his association had not received many reports of attacks on individuals or arson attacks on convenience stores, but described it as “pure luck of the draw”.

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The association estimates just under half of convenience store owners in the UK define themselves as being of Asian or British Asian ethnicity.

Mr Lowman said: “For those people in particular, the undercurrent of racism that they’ve probably had to live with throughout their lives, this really brings that to the surface.”

He added: “It is about, fundamentally, that people are more important than property and making sure you’re erring on the side of caution to make sure people working in the business, and indeed customers who might come into the store, are safe and not caught up in any of these incidents.”

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Earlier this week InterContinental Hotels Group, which owns brands including Holiday Inn, called for “calm to be restored as soon as possible” following attacks on its businesses in Rotherham and Tamworth over the weekend.

A spokesperson added: “The safety and security of our colleagues and anyone staying in our hotels is always our priority. We continue to work closely with the authorities at a small number of properties”.

Analysts have also expressed concerns the disorder will impact consumer confidence and footfall levels for retailers and hospitality venues during the summer period.

Danni Hewson, from investment platform AJ Bell, said earlier this week that the riots were “massively unwelcome” at a time when the UK economy was “struggling to find growth”.

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