Don't miss a thing that's happening in and around Bury by signing up to the free MyBury newsletter The high street can avoid a coronavirus crisis 'cliff edge', the boss of JD Sports has predicted.
But Peter Cowgill believes it will take at least a year before the fallout from the pandemic on retailers becomes clear. Speaking as experts predicted a further boost for pandemic-hit stores, Mr Cowgill insisted people still wanted to hit the aisles, and shops were viable if rents were cut.
He told the Mirror : "I don’t see the cliff edge that some are predicting. We will only really know in 2022, certainly not this year." One big factor is shop rents, with pressure on landlords to cut them.