TRADERS in Malvern are cautiously optimistic after the first few non-essential shops re-opened this week following the coronavirus lockdown.

Business owners in the town reported steady footfall with encouraging signs of shoppers returning.

Mayor of Malvern Neil Morton said he had visited several shops to see the effect of the re-opening.

“I went up on Monday and had a look and it is great to see people back in the High Streets again,” he said. “The majority of shoppers were adhering to social distancing which was of course encouraging to see.

"Some of the shopkeepers I spoke to had been busy and they were all very pleased to be back in business. They have been doing good business and I’m sure they will be looking forward to the rest of this week and the Farmer’s market this weekend.”

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Cllr Morton added: “We in the town council have been working with the District and County Council to make sure the high street is as safe as possible for people to return.

"Lots of our independents have been remaining open offering takeaways or deliveries and really helping people, so it is important that we all return the favour.”

Malvern Hills District councillor with responsibility for economic development and tourism, Beverley Nielsen, said: “It’s really encouraging to see our traders opening their stores to the public again.

"They have made such a wonderful effort to welcome people back. I am impressed with all the shops I’ve visited so far this week who have made every effort in terms of providing masks, protective screens, hand gel, queue management, encouraging social distancing.

"Our town centres can recover from this but to do so they will need the support of the public.

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"So our message is we’re open for business, everyone is working hard to make it a safe environment for you to enjoy, and we’re ready to welcome you back so please support your local traders."

Phil Packer, who runs Malvern Party and Balloons in the town, said he was still cautious over the re-opening.

He said: "We are still serving people at the door rather than having people in the shop.

"We have been running deliveries for 75 days consecutively so we know we can still keep going. I think we all will wait and see before opening the shop fully, but it is still good to see people back out in the high street.

"Being next to Wilko, we get a good view of how many people are here, the weather hasn't helped this week, but there have been people back."