Historic Corn Exchange in Leeds is back in business after lockdown

The Corn Exchange in Leeds city centre welcomed shoppers back through its doors as it reopened after a three month lockdown.
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Traders were eager to get back behind the counters of their shops and yesterday saw a steady return to business.

The Corn Exchange has become a hub for independent and niche businesses and all units, other than hair and hospitality, were open again.

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Adrianna Drozd, from The Plant Point, said: "We are very happy. We have missed our plants and missed our customers. It was pretty steady all day. We were a bit worried about how we would manage queues with the balconies but so far, all good."

Todd Robinson Store manager and Liv Pearson Store Assistant at Miki Miyuki ZokuTodd Robinson Store manager and Liv Pearson Store Assistant at Miki Miyuki Zoku
Todd Robinson Store manager and Liv Pearson Store Assistant at Miki Miyuki Zoku

The West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce said independents and places like the Corn Exchange are a vital part of the Leeds offering and said there will still be a balance to be sought between customer safety and customer confidence.

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"Places like the Corn Exchange, Kirkgate Market, Queen’s Arcade and many other locations beyond the city centre also create a sense of community. As the lockdown continues to ease we know business owners will look to reopen as safely as possible and will be conscious of the balance between ensuring customer confidence whilst remaining viable as people start to re-enter their shops, bars and cafes.”

A one-way system has been put in place around the grade 1 listed building, hand sanitiser stations are situated throughout the building and cleaning of touch points, such as door handles and rails, has been upped. Each unit is also implementing its own social distance measures within the shops.

Adam Warner, centre manager at The Corn Exchange.Adam Warner, centre manager at The Corn Exchange.
Adam Warner, centre manager at The Corn Exchange.
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Centre manager, Adam Warner said that while the Corn Exchange had been closed work had been going on behind the scenes to make the changes that were necessary for reopening.

He added: "We wanted to open as soon as we could and as soon as was safe for us. In truth we did not have any expectation for how it would go, we are just delighted to be open. We know that we have got something special in Leeds. The Corn Exchange is an icon, everybody loves it and wants to see it succeed so it was important to open the door and get people back in."

Welcome back to Leeds is an info hub designed to help guide you safely back to the city centre in the months ahead. welcometoleeds.co.uk #backtoleeds

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