London's big name retailers are planning their eventual reopening and also making sure that they keep their top customers engaged before that happens. Harrods is reportedly planning to offer personal shopping for its top customers prior to opening its doors again with staff, taking orders by phone or smartphone message. A report said this "remote clienteling" should start on 18 May with the retailer saying it will be built on the "one-on-one relationships that our retail colleagues have with customers". The service is made possible by the fact that only a very small number of staff would be required to run it, which means that social distancing won't be a problem. Also it will allow the company to assess whether the service could be rolled out further. This could be crucial at a time when tourist shoppers are not expected to return right away.

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