"None of us entirely enjoy navigating the crowds, especially now when social distancing is so important for controlling the pandemic. So with these changes your local shops can open longer, ensuring more pleasant and safer shopping with less pressure on public transport", stated Communities Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP.

How long the stores can stay open will be a choice for shopkeepers and at the discretion of the council, once England's lockdown is lifted tomorrow. From Wednesday, the 2^nd of December, as England returns to a system of tiered restrictions, all non-essential retail across England will be able to reopen, and planning rules limiting opening hours will be eased to allow shops to be open for longer Monday to Saturday.

The new rules allowing stores to be open 24 hours a day are expected to run from Monday to Saturday and are seen as a ray of hope for the retail stores heavily hit by the lockdowns and in time to get the benefit of the Christmas shopping and the January sales season.

Months of restrictions to try to contain the spread of coronavirus have hit the High Street hard in many countries, and the UK is no exception - READ this Retail Flash report for more detailed information about Footwear Retail in the UK.

According to the UK Government: "While being a boost to business, these measures will help ease transport pressures and make socially distanced shopping easier by giving people greater flexibility to choose when they shop and avoid peak times".

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) welcomed the decision: "With just over three weeks until Christmas, shoppers will welcome the additional opportunities to shop that the government's statement supports," commented BRC Chief Executive Helen Dickinson.