Retail’s trade association has called on the government to put policies in place “to stimulate demand”, including reductions in VAT or income tax for low earners.

The BRC cautioned that, without such moves, “many physical shops could end up closing their doors again – only this time permanently”.

The warning came as footfall to physical stores plummeted 81.6% in May as a result of lockdown measures. That did, however, mark a shallower decline than that suffered in April as more shops, including garden centres and homeware stores, began to reopen.