(Bloomberg) -- Non-essential retailers as well as pubs and restaurants with outdoor space will reopen Monday across England after almost 100 days of lockdown, hoping pent-up demand will translate into strong sales.

Retailers from luxury department store Harrods to budget fashion chain Primark have been lining up new spring and summer ranges, while bars and restaurants have been buying tents to host outdoor gatherings in a bid to make up for lost time and sales.

“Today is a major step forward in our roadmap to freedom,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement. “I’m sure it will be a huge relief to those business owners who have been closed for so long.”

The reopening comes at a critical time as Britain eases out of lockdown while trying to maintain a rapid vaccination roll-out and avoid a new wave of Covid-19 outbreaks already taking hold in continental Europe. A second summer of pandemic restrictions could devastate large parts of the economy, particularly the retail, hospitality and travel sectors, where the toll is already severe.

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“One of the awful things that is going to become quite quickly apparent is how many shops have failed to reopen today,” said James Daunt, chief executive officer of Waterstones bookstores. “Lockdown has had an absolutely disastrous impact, and on specialty retailers in particular.”

The pandemic has raged in the U.K., causing more than 127,000 deaths and forcing multiple lockdowns that have contributed to the worst economic downturn in three centuries. The current restrictions, coupled with a vaccine rollout that has delivered a first shot to more than half of all adults, has reversed the spread and fueled hopes for a return to normalcy.

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Johnson has come under pressure from MPs in his own party to accelerate the re-opening of Britain’s economy, with virus cases, hospitalizations and deaths all sharply down and the vaccine program now reaching beyond the most vulnerable. The next major easing of rules will happen from May 17, when indoor hospitality will resume. The government’s aim is to then remove the remaining restrictions on social contact from June 21.

Despite that pressure, Johnson hasn’t indicated he is willing to deviate from his previously announced timeline for re-opening. He urged the public to “behave responsibly” with the latest easing, and to continue to follow government advice on hand-washing, mask-wearing and keeping distance from others.

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John Lewis Partnership Plc has already said it won’t reopen eight of its 42 remaining department stores today, putting 1,500 jobs at risk. Close to 70,000 retail jobs have been lost in the past year, said the British Retail Consortium, a trade body representing an industry that is the largest private-sector employer in the U.K.

Retailers that are opening their doors again have spent millions of pounds on measures to promote safe shopping, from glass barriers at checkouts to more frequent cleaning. They have also worked with government to address issues around the testing of staff, the use of fitting rooms and safe use of air conditioning and ventilation.

Brands are also doing what they can to lure back shoppers who may have become used to the ease of shopping online during the pandemic. Harrods is planning pop-up boutiques and al fresco dining, according to managing director Michael Ward. Many retailers plan to take advantage of relaxed rules allowing them to stay open late.

Similarly, pub operators have invested about 285 million pounds ($390 million) in lease agreements and equipment to host outdoor events to comply with the government’s guidance that drinks may only be served outside, according to the British Beer and Pub Association, a trade group.

Drinkers will only be able to order once seated at an allocated table and not directly at the bar, a repeat of the measures implemented during earlier re-openings. Pints will this time be served without the “substantial meal” that was required as an accompaniment to drink orders last year and sparked a debate across the country as to whether a scotch egg -- a baked or deep-fried snack sold at many pubs that don’t operate full kitchens -- met the criteria.

“It has been a difficult year for retail & hospitality, but the multiple lockdowns of 2020 have shown us that we can reopen safely and sustainably,” said Jace Tyrell, chief executive officer of the New West End Company, which represents businesses in London’s shopping and entertainment district. He said the success of the U.K.’s vaccination program “has given us the boost we desperately need to save jobs and viable businesses.”

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