AS one of the jewels of the Wiltshire High Street, Deacons has continued to shine as brightly as ever.

The jeweller, which has branches in Old Town and Marlborough, reopened on June 15 and both locations have limited the number of customers able to enter in line with social distancing guidelines, as well as installing protective screens and hand sanitising stations.

Managing director, Richard Deacon, said the changes have proven to be good for business.

“The set up has worked very well. We have also encouraged people to make an appointment to come and do their business with us, whether that is for purchasing items or looking at repairs,” he said.

“This has been good at focusing customers on what they want before they visit us, as well as helping to focus my staff on what they need too. In a funny way, you can take a positive out of what has been a negative situation, as it has enabled people to drill down to the detail of what they want, which has been good for us as a business.

“Deacons has always been able to navigate whatever challenges have been thrown at us, and this year has been no different.”

Swindon’s oldest retailer will continue to be proactive in its marketing activities in the lead up to Christmas.

“We hope to welcome as many as possible of our loyal customers to our newly refurbished showroom during the festive period with social distancing in place” said Mr Deacon.