The owner of a long-running Irish clothing store says the coronavirus crisis will mean a 'different way of retail' in the future.
Louis Copeland, who is the latest in several generations of family members to run Louis Copeland and Sons, says the crisis hit the business like a 'bombshell'.
However, the fact that the firm chain had previously set up an online store means they still have income coming in despite their stores having been closed for nearly two months.
Speaking on The Hard Shoulder, Mr Copeland explained: “Since the shops closed down in March, we’ve had to adapt.
“We had a website going for about three years, and it was just sort of going along. All of a sudden it jumped up: it was the only form of income we were getting in. And we were able to hit the ground running.
“My advice to people out there in business: get yourself a website."
While Louis Copeland is known for their suits and formal wear, it's casual wear that currently accounts for 'around 85%' of their business.
Mr Copeland said: "Especially [with] people working from home, it’s shirts, polos, knitwear, chinos, runners… All of a sudden our business has changed, and our way of business has changed.
“We’re still selling suits, but not to the extent if it was the main store."
However, he said they're still able to advise customers by phone if needed, while they also have measurements for many of their regular customers on file.
For now, Louis Copeland is hoping they can reopen their stores in 'phase two' of the easing of restrictions on June 8th.
However, the exception will be their Dundrum store - that's located in a large shopping centre, so will have to remain closed until later in the summer.
Louis observed: “It’s going to be a different way of retail.
"For suits, people are still going to come in and we’ll have to do it a different way. But a lot of people are going to go online.”
