With everything our local businesses are going through, cafes, restaurants, leisure etc. Social distancing is seeing more and more creativity. All in aim of making our customers feel as safe and secure as possible. Some children and adults will see this as an adventure but of course, the cost is absorbed by the establishments that are revolutionising the way we serve our customers across the industry....

But has life come to a halt or has life as we know it changed forever?

Privacy and safety can be created in many different ways and doesn't always have to cost the world...

A restaurant in Amsterdam, Mediamatic Eten, are leading the way through the future, with a fantastic idea to continue serving their customers while adhering to social distancing. Using small greenhouses as a mini, isolated shelter from other customers and serving on long wooden planks, a simple idea to ensure they can maintain the minimum 2 meter distance for the staff and customers safety.

Due to a great success with the stay at home measures implemented to continue their business, Twitter have announced that they will offer all employees the chance to continue to work from home as a permanent solution.... Forever! This is a life changing moment for a business as big as Twitter seeing hundreds of people choosing to work from home, giving a knew meaning to flexible work for those who have children and offering safety for those concerned about going back to the work place, as we re-open businesses.

The coffee industry has changed promoting more subscription services, home deliveries and even the emergence of small, independent roasters from all over the UK making their mark on the industry.

The use of delivery groups, like Deliveroo, has increased ten fold. New smaller restaurants and even drinks providers making the most of this delivery service to bring goods straight to your door. Easing some of the pressure for those who would otherwise have closed down. Fast food franchises have started to re-open their doors, not to the consumer but to the dedicated delivery drivers, still bring food home.

Charitable work, volunteering and donations has seen a boom in popularity. People who want to do something with the time they have on their hands while in lockdown, to help ensure the charities close to our hearts can continue to deliver their services, food and more across the UK. 

From our point of view, life as we knew it certainly hasn't come to a halt. Businesses continue to supply demand and even see growth through this pandemic, while others are evolving the way they serve and acquire customers to continue.

We see this trend continuing into the next year and past. Hardly a stop to life but we agree that life has and will continue to change for the business and consumer. It will be interesting who will be riding the waves and who will be left behind in the wake of this pandemic.