28
Jul
Knaresborough hopes for economic boost as shop-local campaign begins
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A marketing campaign that encourages people to shop at local independent businesses officially got underway in Knaresborough today.
The Stray Ferret last month reported the town would be the latest to be supported by the grassroots high street campaign group Totally Locally.
Totally Locally was awarded £39,000 from the York and North Yorkshire mayor’s £10m Vibrant Sustainability High Streets fund, to increase footfall in Knaresborough, Pickering and Malton and Norton.
It follows the success of a Totally Locally marketing campaign in Calderdale, which said if every adult spent £5 a week on local businesses, it would pump an extra £40 million a year into the local economy.
The simple message had a considerable impact and has since been adopted in more than 150 UK towns.
Traders Natalie Horner and Annie Wilkinson-Gill, who run Knaresborough Business Collective, saw an opportunity to get the town involved, and now Knaresborough is hoping to enjoy similar success by pushing the same shop-local message.
They say that if everyone in the town spent £5 a week in local independent shops, it would bring in an extra £3.1 million into the town’s economy every year.
Business and residents highlighted promoting local shops as their number one issue when they were recently consulted on the main issues the town’s economy.
They said many residents were unaware of the diversity of local businesses.
The Totally Locally campaign, which includes gift shops, clothing retailers, cafés, florists and accountants, aims to address this.
The first phase of the campaign, called ‘We Recommend’, begins today (July 28). It involves businesses putting up posters in their windows directing customers to other similar local traders.
'We Recommend' hopes to direct people to similar local businesses across Knaresborough.
Sarah Chisem, of Knaresborough Podiatry, said:
As business owners, we all use lots of businesses in the town centre, and are often asked where the best café, butcher, gift shop etc. is.
Most people who visit a town only visit on average three shops, so they become a little blind to what is around them. So, by pushing our favourite shops in the window, we hope to get people to try all the other great businesses in the town.
‘We Recommend’ is the first project of the year-long campaign, which will include a range of events and initiatives to encourage Knaresborough residents to shop locally and invest in their town.
A month-long trial called ‘A Knaresborough Month of Sundays’ will begin this Sunday. Local traders that usually close on a Sunday will open their doors throughout August in a bid to boost weekend footfall for local businesses.
Natalie Horner, organiser of Totally Locally Knaresborough, said the campaign is a chance for locals to discover Knaresborough’s shops and businesses, and understand the “real difference they make to our town”.
She added:
Totally Locally has had a big impact on the towns that have run the campaign, both nationally and internationally. We are confident that it can do the same for Knaresborough. We have lots of wonderful businesses here and Totally Locally will help to highlight this with lots more initiatives over the next twelve months.
People are already recommending their own Knaresborough favourites.
Mr Sands, of Totally Locally, said feedback from residents showed Knaresborough residents are “not always of aware of what’s on their doorsteps”, and he believes the campaign will tackle this.
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