Dudley South MP, Mike Wood, was given a tour of intu Merry Hill prior to the official re-opening of non-essential retail. 

During the visit, centre manager, Rachael Jackson took the MP through some of the planning and preparation that has been put in place to keep people safe during their visit. 

Key measures include managing the number of shoppers entering the centre; managing the number of shoppers in the centre; marked routes to encourage people to socially distance while they visit; hand sanitising stations; and increased cleaning regimes. Following the visit, Mike said:

“Right across the country we have seen Covid-19 disrupt people’s lives on an unprecedented scale – and although things are by no means ‘back to normal’, it is encouraging to see cautious but momentous steps like this which will support our local economy once again.

“intu Merry Hill is so important to us locally – not just to shoppers and visitors, but of course to the thousands of local people who work at the centre and rely on it for their livelihood.
 
“I very much hope the public will show their support for intu Merry Hill, as well as our town centres and high streets – and of course, adhere to the social distancing measures which are in place”.  

Whilst unique to intu Merry Hill, the centre’s safety plans were developed by a taskforce of experts from across intu who used a series of central, common principles for intu’s 14 shopping destinations across the UK. Rachael Jackson, general manager of intu Merry Hill, said:

“Our teams have been working hard to ensure the centre continues to be a clean and safe place to visit and work. The experience of visiting intu Merry Hill will be different to normal, but we want to reassure our visitors that keeping them safe is our priority.

"We are asking people to follow the marked routes, we have social distancing measures in place throughout and there are hand sanitiser stations at key points. We’re ready to welcome more visitors back.”
 
Visitors are encouraged to check the intu Merry Hill website before they travel for further information on safety measures, car parking, specific store openings and centre opening times. Individual store opening times may vary, please check with individual retailers before leaving home.“