High street bakery chain, Greggs has announced that it will close all 2,040 stores tomorrow.
CEO Roger Whiteside posted the following message on twitter:
'We’ve been doing everything we can to keep our shops open and everyone safe but it has become clear that to help us all maintain social distancing we need to go further and close all of our shops completely. So, we have made the difficult decision to close all of our shops on Tuesday 24th March.
First and foremost, thank you to our amazing colleagues for the hard work they have been putting in every day. They live and breathe the Greggs spirit, and we couldn’t have got through these challenging times without their unwavering positivity and cooperation.
While we are closed, we will continue to support staff with full contract hours for as long as we're able, although we will need to keep this under review as the situation develops.'
Whiteside said the group will continue to support local communities to distribute remaining unsold food and offering support for those in hardship through the Greggs Foundation.
He thanked the customers for their ongoing support in these unsettling times, and concluded by praising all those on the frontline.