Bristol Galleries shop owners speak of ‘traumatic’ wait to reopen after power cut

Business owners in The Galleries have spoken of their ‘traumatic’ week after they were forced to close their shops due to a major power cut.

The Broadmead shopping centre closed at the end of trading on Sunday (October 15) and remained shut for three full days. It reopened this morning (October 19).

For Simon Tracy, owner of The Galleries’ newest business, Second Page Books, the enforced closure couldn’t have come at a worse time.

He said: “We only opened three weeks ago and this week was going to be when we gave the shop a big marketing push.

“To have to close for almost four days has really come at a bad time but I know it’s just one of those things. It has been quite traumatic to be honest.

“I have no issues with The Galleries or the management, though, as it was out of their hands and they have already indicated that we may be entitled to claim for loss of earnings.”

At the Bristol Acupuncture and Wellness Centre on the ground floor of The Galleries, Dr Sherry told Bristol World that she had to cancel up to 50 appointments with clients.

“Closing for three days has cost us a lot of lost income because I’m not sure when or if those clients are going to rebook their appointments. Some said they could only come here on certain days. I just hope we get some compensation for having to close for so long.”

At Claire’s accessories and jewellery store, supervisor Rhianna said she was glad the shop had reopened because losing three days of trade will impact the weekly sales.

“Our targets are quite high this week so to not open from Monday to Wednesday will have a big impact.

“We all had to stay home during the closure and just wait for updates on a group chat they set up for the Galleries.”

David Wait, Centre Manager at The Galleries, said: “Close coordination with the tenants will take place to address insurance concerns. We are all delighted that the centre has now reopened and that we can get back to business as usual.”