Not Augustus, but do have a Lanes business I’m closely connected with..

...firstly I know that businesses will be really pleased to hear that there are folks giving thought to how we are affected. It can feel really lonely and we are in the sad position of having to stand our team down after today - it’s them we are really worried about. IF there are ways to supplement their incomes and keep our businesses so that in three months, or whenever, this ends we all have a reasonable chance of being there to help the resumption of normal life then this can be a pause and not an end.

Some customers have bought vouchers, and we’re also doing home deliveries. Vouchers always have the caveat that they will be redeemed at some time and in the normal course of events the proportion of revenue is negligible and manageable. You’re right to anticipate that a sudden influx at the end of this would be impossible to manage - stock to sell would still need to have come from suppliers who’d need paying, but trickling in over a period after the normal resumption of business could be done. For some of the Lanes businesses who receive SBRR it seems likely that a £10k grant is coming. Welcome as a way of coping with the sudden disruption to cashflow and supplier payments, but given how long this could go on for doesn’t necessarily help with our team.

Grants rather than loans, and support for our team members incomes is what is ultimately needed - and if the Government does rise to the challenge and pick up a majority proportion of that, the kind of initiative you are suggesting may help top things up. If the businesses you normally use are doing a delivery service, then please use it. If not, and you are in a position to forward purchase with a voucher then please do - but it can’t be risk free.

Too many words, and I hope you don’t mind me butting in with my thoughts. We had some really moving messages from customers on social media in the last few days and I can’t tell you how much it means to us all that there are some thoughts being given to the knock on effects of this crisis.

Posted By: Tressells Broadbrush on March 19th 2020 at 10:40:55

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