Following the riots in Hull, shops have been boarded up and the costs of business disruption are being calculated.
While some city centre shops affected by the weekend’s protests, which saw violence and destruction, are continuing to trade – and have vowed not to be deterred by recent events – others face a longer road back to normality. Some shops have been vandalised and looted, with the worst affected being Lush Cosmetics Hull on the corner of Jameson Street.
Although the store is temporarily closed and expected to reopen this week, one of Lush’s bosses praised the efforts of the team on site – and the volunteers who helped clean up. Ellen Peters, head of property at Lush Cosmetics, took to social media with a message of hope: “There is more that unites us than divides us.”
READ MORE:
Ms Peters said she was reminded of the “resilience and kindness of the wonderful people inside and outside the business” after visiting Hull on Monday and seeing the “closed, vandalised, looted and boarded up store”. She said: “It’s easy to be angry and sad – and don’t get me wrong, I’m both.”
“I am angry at the few people who senselessly attack minority groups and I am saddened by the communities that are being targeted and the harm that is being done to them. Just yesterday (Sunday 4 August) our store team arrived to a store that was unrecognisable compared to the one they left on Saturday – and within eight hours they and their partners and friends who volunteered their support did an amazing job: coordinating contractors, assessing the damage, clearing up the mess and preparing a stock order for our Poole warehouse so we can start picking first thing this morning so we can be back up and running as soon as possible.
“Today (Monday) was the same – assessing damage, counting and double counting the remaining stock and endless cleaning. It could have been a frustrating and thankless task, but it wasn’t.
“Team members rearranged their shifts to help. Everyone brought the same positive energy, maybe even more, to work that they bring every day and it was a joy to work with them.
“Throughout the day, customers have been in touch with the store and our customer service team, offering to come and help. Nearby shops have offered food, coffee and support. My personal highlight was a local man who saw us working in the store and came by with chocolates. He wasn’t a regular customer of ours, he had never met the team before. He just saw what had happened, was saddened by it and wanted to do something to help.”
Ms Peters thanked a number of people for their support and for “pulling out all the stops”. She also thanked “so many others who have done so much to help directly and show their kindness – thank you so much”. She also said: “To any other retailers out there who have been affected by the unrest: let us know if there is anything we can do to help.”
At the nearby Specsavers on Jameson Street, the window was boarded up but the store was running as normal. Speaking to BBC Look North’s Peter Levy, store manager David Proudfoot said: “At the end of the day, we have people to look after.”
“The community in Hull is incredibly important to us and we need to make sure we can open safely and that my team is (safe).” Mr Proudfoot said on Saturday afternoon that all staff had been sent home, with some of them “shaken and scared”.
