Following the news that Morrisons is rolling out a shopping system for customers doing smaller shops to help them get in and out more quickly:

Thomas Brereton, Retail Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view on the situation:

“Morrisons’ “Speedy” system does indeed offer a convenient way for small-basket shoppers to avoid excessive queuing – particularly valuable as people return to work and food-to-go demand begins to slowly recover. But early response yesterday (the first day of the scheme) was not all positive, with reports such as “Speedy” queues being longer than the regular line (resulting in basket shoppers being forced to take a trolley) and queue barriers being parallel and subsequently breaking social distancing rules.

“While it is a sensible move from Morrisons (which has also led the grocery market in numerous COVID-19 policy responses), it should move quickly to iron out the kinks to avoid further confusion or worse, increasing risk to public health.

“This gradual return to small grocery shopping missions also raises possibilities for convenience stores at other retailers, some of which closed as inner city demand dropped during lockdown. Small-format locations (that normally experience high intensity traffic during meal times) may be tempted to reopen as consumers return, however, it is crucial that modified restrictions remain effective and easy to understand.”