Retail has been hit particularly badly with high street staples such as Monsoon, Cath Kidston, Oasis, Victoria's Secret and Debenhams all plunging into administration, putting thousands of jobs at risk.

Meanwhile the impact of the lockdown on the hospitality industry has been described as "disastrous".

Recent figures from the Office for National Statisticis showed that Britain's economy had fallen by 20.4 per cent in April, the first full month of lockdown.

But, even amid these huge challenges, Brighton has proven itself to be an irrepressible source of enterprising businesses.

A walk through the city's streets last week showed that several new cafes, shops and restaurants are planning to open in the coming months, or, incredibly, opened their doors for the first during lockdown.

In Duke Street, a new artisan deli market is coming soon.

The site had been barren for more than a year when owner Helen Gordon, her son Harry and daughter Jodie "decided enough was enough with empty shops".

The team have worked alongside friend and artist Fiona Anderson during the lockdown to "bring the market to life" and procure "the finest, tastiest, most nutritional food products" from small-batch producers.

Helen said: "The uniqueness will be the array of sumptuous food not seen in the supermarket, ranging from hand-made pastas, pesto, salami's, cheeses and delicious healthy snacks to name a few.

"On hand will be knowledgeable friendly servers to share stories about each and every product; who has made it, where it has come from, and nutritional facts."

The former site of BeFries in West Street now displays a logo for "Chipsy King," with a slogan saying its chips are "double cooked for dipping".

Then, in Queen's Road, a new Brighton site for bubble tea brand T4 recently opened.

The Taiwan-founded business, which aims to "bring happiness to customers and their friends," has several sites in London, Glasgow, Guildford and more. But this is its first Sussex venue.

Last week, Purezza announced plans for a third restaurant, this time in Western Road, Hove. 

The popular plant-based pizzeria will open its latest site in late August, allowing it to extend its reach across the city and offer to deliver its tasty takeaway menu to the people of Hove and Portslade.

Vegan burger restaurant Vurger Co has promised a site is "coming soon" to The Lanes, with colourful branded posters currently filling the windows of a store in the shopping district.

And a new Five Guys restaurant is set to replace Carluccio's in Jubilee Street.