Historic Sheffield department store Atkinsons explains why it's not selling online during coronavirus lockdown

Atkinsons department store on The Moor in Sheffield city centre, which was established in 1872, is among the exceptions.

Although the business has a website which is regularly updated, it does not sell goods online and has no plans to change that during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Managing director Nicholas Atkinson said: “For many of you it is probably hard for you to understand why we have not got a selling website.

“The truth of the matter is that we are firm believers that retailing is not just about selling, but the enjoyment of meeting people in a relaxed comfortable environment, where you can be advised and helped with questions you might have.

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“We talk to our and customers and have a smile as Atkinsons has never been the same as the cloned high street shops and has offered merchandise that is not generally in most of our shopping centres and that is the attraction that brings many of you to us.”

Mr Atkinson also gave an update on the differences shoppers should expect once the store reopens.

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“It looks as if the lockdown is slowly going to be released and that initially we might be restricted in customer numbers in the store at any one time and have sanitizers and some form of social distancing, but we are all used to this now and if it gets us back to normal faster, that’s all right for me,” he said.