INTERIORS business CFC in Cookstown has urged the government to consider providing additional help for retailers forced to close during the coronavirus lockdown.
CFC Interiors, which sells furniture including sofas, beds, dining tables and homeware, has availed of a loan from Danske Bank through the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS).
But while CFC has been able to furlough the majority of its staff and has continued to sell some products online, chief executive Paul Wilson says he is not expecting a return to normal trading any time soon.
“The furlough scheme has been great for us and I'm glad to see it extended until October.
“But I don’t think there is a clear understanding of the scale of the challenges retail businesses are facing. Our two busiest times of the year are Easter and October. We lost Easter so we are hoping we get October, but we don’t yet know the impact of social distancing,” he said.
“I’m confident customers will come back and will shop local, but the return will be gradual. I’d like to bring some staff back part-time initially until we can assess levels of footfall, and we can now do that under the furlough scheme. But for us and others, a full recovery could take some time. The sector as a whole may need more help.”
Mr Wilson said he hopes the furlough scheme will mean consumers will still have money in their pockets when lockdown lifts and will be inclined to spend more on their homes.
He added: “The loan we got from Danske Bank was a huge help, because in the short term cash flow is the main issue. Stock that we have bought and paid for is not being sold and new stock continues to arrive. Businesses need all the help they can get and for us it was a painless process with Danske.”
Carol McCready, business banking manager at Danske Bank, said: “Retail is one of the sectors which could face a longer road back to the position it was in before coronavirus, but we are hopeful that long-established businesses like CFC Interiors will see loyal customers start to return when it is safe for people to shop again.”
