By Elli Collins
COVID-19 has caused everyone’s lives to change since its outbreak in Wuhan, China on 31st December 2019. One year and two months down the line, not a lot has changed.
Small businesses are most affected by the outbreak, having to shut for long periods of time and relying on government money or existing clients.
Qualified personal trainer at Enfield Nutrition Club, Michele Beadle 47 said: “Having to move my personal training sessions online is really hard. I don’t get to see my clients in person, and advise certain exercises or alternatives.
“Also, the technology can be so unpredictable, crashing or freezing at random points which is really annoying when trying to do a live session. However, a positive is, when some clients can’t make the live sessions, I record them, so they can do it at a time that fits around their schedule.”
According to an article posted in 2020 by The Guardian, 11,120 chain store outlets have closed between January and June. The net store closures were at a record high at 6,001, compared to the start of the year.
The virus has caused countless of businesses to close temporarily, or for good, with many struggling to find the money to keep their business afloat.
“Progression for my small business has been really hard,” said 22-year-old makeup artist, Bethany Elston, from Hertfordshire. “Obviously since the pandemic, I’ve had no new clients, as people aren’t able to go anywhere. No weddings, parties, or events. I’m finding it hard to keep up the content on my Instagram page too.
However, the pandemic hasn’t only caused issues for small businesses. Larger organisations, such as the Arcadia Group (owning Topshop, Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins, etc, has gone into administration, closing all their branches.
An article from the BBC stated comments made by Ian Grabiner, the CEO of Arcadia: “[Ian] said it marked an “incredibly sad” day for the group.
“The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, including the forced closure of our stores for prolonged periods, has severely impacted on trading across all of our brands.”
Fortunately, ASOS has purchased the Arcadia Group, which means Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge, and many more will continue to stock on their website.
However, not all businesses can be this lucky. Smaller organisations, like local businesses, won’t be purchased by the bigger brands, which is why so many have had to permanently close during this pandemic.
With the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines, and over 10 million people having had at least their first dose of the vaccine, things could be looking up for smaller businesses hoping to reopen soon.
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