December 2, 2020 10.40 am This story is over 39 months old

Lincoln shoppers flock to Debenhams as lockdown partially lifted

Other shops had no queues though

By Local Democracy Reporter

Debenhams was busy but Primark was quiet in Lincoln on Wednesday morning, as the national coronavirus lockdown was lifted and non-essential stores could reopen.

The country moved out of a national lockdown and into a tiered system on Wednesday, December 2, with the whole of Lincolnshire going into tier 3.

Despite being in the highest possible tier, the rules allow for retail, gyms and hairdressers to reopen, meaning the High Street could finally trade again.

Pubs and restaurants can only offer takeaway and collection services though.

Debenhams at St Marks saw plenty of interest out and about, with queues snaking around the building on Wednesday morning.

Shoppers couldn’t wait for Debenhams to reopen. | Photo: The Lincolnite

This could potentially be due to the news that Debenhams is on the brink of liquidation after JD Sports pulled out of a financial rescue deal.

All 124 stores will close and more than 12,000 staff are likely to lose their jobs as administrators try to find a new buyer.

Surprisingly, there were no queues to be seen at Primark, a shop that saw some queue outside from 5am after the first lockdown was lifted.

Primark looks as desolate as it did during lockdown. | Photo: The Lincolnite

This could be because Primark opened at 7am, so people avoided the rush.

There was an obvious presence in the High Street, but there wasn’t the shopping frenzy we saw after the first lockdown.

Some were perhaps getting the Christmas shopping done as early as possible. | Photo: The Lincolnite

The further uphill you went in town, the quieter it got.

There were still some browsing this morning. | Photo: The Lincolnite

Not many rushing out to shop. | Photo: The Lincolnite

Uphill Lincoln was considerably less populated in the morning, with the top end of the High Street and the Strait seeing next to no queues of eager shoppers.

Limited numbers seen near The Strait. | Photo: The Lincolnite