Brent Cross shopping centre reopened today

Brent Cross shopping centre reopened its doors today (June 15) as non-essential shops having been given the green light to open for the first time since March.

The popular shopping centre has taken a series of precautionary measures for shoppers to maintain social distancing as much as possible.

Once walking around the centre, customers will be asked to follow the one-way sticker routes and signs have been placed to remind shoppers to social distance.

Shoppers are asked to maintain social distance while at Brent Cross Photo: Jonathan Hordle

While many stores at Brent Cross have reopened, visitors should be warned queuing systems are in place to make sure shoppers follow government guidelines.

Chris Barnes, General Manager at Brent Cross, said: “It has been great to welcome back our customers to the centre today. 

“We’ve been working hard behind the scenes for the past few months to get everything ready, and we’ve introduced a range of measures to keep everyone safe.

"We know that this new way of shopping is going to take some getting used to, but it was brilliant to see Brent Cross busy again.”

Photo: Jonathan Hordle

The John Lewis branch at Brent Cross has not reopened yet as the department store takes a phased approach in reopening the Kingston and Poole branch today.

It is not clear when the Brent Cross branch will reopen.

Andrew Murphy, executive director of operations for John Lewis, said he hoped the range of options still available to customers will leave them "pleasantly surprised", such as trying on shoes after being given disposable pop socks and lying on beds or testing pillows with single use disposable covers.

Government guidance says items that have been tried on should be isolated for 72 hours or cleaned before being returned to the shop floor, and that changing rooms should remain closed where possible.

John Lewis, while keeping its fitting rooms shut, is piloting a virtual personal shopper in some stores in the coming weeks.

Technology will also be used for a planned trial of a virtual queuing system for John Lewis and Waitrose, using a customer's phone to alert them to their position as they wait in a car or run other errands.

Starting today, masks are now mandatory on public transport - but not compulsory in shops. Anyone wishing to visit Brent Cross via public transport should wear a face mask or type of face covering.

To find out which stores have reopened today, visit here.