Independent retailers have had to take on additional hours to help fill gaps caused by a shortage of shop staff.

According to store owners across the UK, the coronavirus pandemic has led to issues hiring shop floor store staff, with one retailer claiming this had been the first time they experienced recruitment issues in decades.

The issues have resulted in store owners taking on extra hours. Shabaz Ali, of Best-one Falkirk in Scotland’s Central Lowlands, told Better Retailing: “People come in, you train them up and they leave after a week.

“I’m lucky I’ve got my wife and kids helping me at night. Lately, I’ve been doing an additional 24 hours a week myself.”

Labour shortage forces stores to rethink staffing models

Mike Nichols, of Costcutter Dringhouses in York, said he has also worked additional hours on the shopfloor and is aware of other retailers who are looking to sell their stores due to the issues.

Another retailer, who asked not to be named, added they have lost five staff members who have gone on to start their own convenience stores.

The issues with staffing have been attributed to potential employees wanting higher graduate-level salaries or becoming accustomed to hybrid working from home patterns during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Read more about the labour crisis