Shoppers in Hampshire and Isle of Wight are being urged to buy from, and celebrate, their local and independent businesses in a pre-Christmas campaign led by Britain’s biggest business representation group.
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) says that the unprecedented pressure on small businesses throughout 2020 means they desperately need a boost from their local communities in the run-up to Christmas.
As a result, they have called on everyone including shoppers and retailers themselves to rally around and provide some much-needed Christmas cheer for Britain’s independent businesses.
Don’t forget you can find local businesses that deliver to the door via the AtoZtoMe Website.
‘Love Your Small Independent Business’
The ‘Love Your Small Independent Business’ campaign is asking local people to not only actively support their local independent businesses in Hampshire and Isle of Wight by using the hashtag #ilovesmallbusiness online, but also to share images of their actual buys (without giving it away to loved ones) by using the hashtag #shopherethisChristmas.
Review your favourite business
And, it also calls on people to place reviews of their favourite businesses online as well to persuade others to ‘shopsmall’ in line with the current high-profile Google ‘Dear Local’ advertising push.
Welcoming the campaign, FSB Development Manager for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Nicola Bailey said we all have a part to play to ensure ourindependent retail businesses have a fighting chance of rescuing their curtailed Christmas sales so they can continue to be part of the local community in 2021.
Bailey: Reward loyalty independents have shown to communities
She said,
‘’This has been an unbelievably testing time for our brilliant small, independent retail businesses.
‘’Many have worked tirelessly to try and stay open and provide invaluable support and service to the community in a safe and secure way, and we know being part of a vibrant community with independent businesses is important to local people.
“We therefore hope local people support this campaign and reward the loyalty their local independents have shown to communities. They are the very heartbeat of local life.”
She also noted,
“Many of our local business have innovated over the last few months by launching online with ‘click and collect services so they need help too – don’t forget if it is on your Christmas list think small retailers who can provide it with a personal service!”
The FSB campaign is also inviting retailers themselves to ensure they are part of this campaign by posting images of themselves and their shops online to entice shoppers using the hashtag #shopherethisChristmas.
Cherry: Never been more important to support your local firms
The FSB’s National Chairman Mike Cherry said he felt it was imperative that we all did our best to try and support and enthuse about our local retailers in the final, frantic weeks before Christmas.
“Small businesses are well and truly at the heart of our communities.
“That’s why it’s never been more important to support your local firms and, by extension, the community in which you live.”
News shared by Nicola on behalf of FSB. Ed
Image: Tim Mossholder under CC BY 2.0
