BROWN THOMAS ON Grafton Street and Arnotts are to fully reopen this Wednesday, 10 June following the government’s announcement to move to ‘Phase Two Plus’ next week.

Brown Thomas stores in Cork, Limerick, and Galway will fully reopen on Thursday; opening times will be 10.30am until 6pm.

Other major retailers such as Penneys and Ikea have also announced they will re-open stores with street access next week; with Penneys re-opening from Friday 12 June Ikea opening from tomorrow.

Health Minister Simon Harris urged people ahead of their reopening that just because shops are re-opening soon “doesn’t mean we all need to go at once”. 

Although the stores are reopening, those who wish to attend the stores are reminded that some strict measures will be in place to ensure their health and safety are protected. 

These include the option to pre-book visits, a ‘virtual queuing’ system, and a ban on touching or trying on beauty testers.

A number of measures in place in both Brown Thomas and Arnotts include: 

• People will be able to pre-book visits into the stores via the Brown Thomas & Arnotts website. Walk-ins will be facilitated via a queuing system if necessary.
• People can join a queue virtually and receive a text message when they are at the top of the virtual queue
• Stores will operate at a reduced capacity, the number of customers will be electronically counted on entry and exit, and displayed on screens for customers to see.
• New, larger beauty consultation areas have been created to allow for social distancing. A no-touch policy will be in place on beauty products, with testers available to view only.
• There will be no staff contact with customers at make-up counters and no self-service tester brushes. 
• People can virtually ‘try on’ make-up; both stores will have digital screens to allow people to ‘virtually’ assess how make-up appears on their skin.
• All clothes will be steamed daily, customers can use fitting rooms, and clothes will be steamed after a person has tried them on. 

There will also be a free same-day home delivery service for customers who buy some larger items, to avoid them having to bring them on to public transport.

A ‘click & collect’ area will be at the Brown Thomas car park in Dublin, so customers can remain in their car to collect their purchases.

Brown Thomas is also offering virtual consultations and appointments can take place with women’s and menswear personal shoppers and stylists.

Arnotts customers will be able to shop for furniture virtually from next week.

“We have been planning the safe reopening of our stores for weeks and all necessary safety measures will be implemented prior to opening in compliance with government and HSE guidelines,” a statement said.

Donald McDonald, Managing Director of ‘Brown Thomas Arnotts’, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming our customers back to our beautiful stores where they will be able to shop our entire offer in a safe and inspiring way.

Customers will experience some differences in how things are done as we ensure the highest safety and hygiene standards are adhered to, but we are confident that our customers will enjoy the new innovations that we have introduced, which will make their shopping experience as seamless and enjoyable as ever.