BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Independents’ Day UK is to culminate in a full weekend of celebrations highlighting Britain’s indie retailers, across Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th July.
The campaign’s organisers are asking consumers to “pledge a few pounds” to independent retailers, by spending at indies across the weekend. Independents’ Day UK will be sponsored by Local Rewards, a programme developed by Maybe* Tech, which allows retailers to communicate with and reward shoppers – and is now live across hundreds of towns and cities across the UK.
Howard Robinson, a spokesperson for Independents’ Day UK, said: “The British independent retail sector has shown real resilience in the face of the COVID crisis across the last year, operating through extreme uncertainty and putting on a brave face for their customers and wider communities.
“We are asking the public to show their thanks by simply heading out across the weekend of July 3rd and 4th and spending a few pounds at independent, or locally-owned retailers.”
Independents’ Day UK is supported by and works closely with, among others, the British Independent Retailers Association (Bira), the Independent Retail Consortium (IRC) and the Association of Town and City Management (ATCM).
Andrew Goodacre, CEO of Bira, said: “Independents Day will soon be with us again – this time better and over a whole weekend. This year is probably the most important year for indie retail, as businesses look to rebuild following the pandemic.
“The money spent in local, independent shops makes a real difference to business owners and the local economy, so it would be great if the general public could support this campaign and spend at independents.”
The campaign team estimates that last year, over 8,500 small shops across the UK engaged with the campaign – and is hoping that figure will reach at least 20,000 this year. Around 100 different town management teams, business improvement districts (BIDs), chambers of commerce and local business groups across the country participated in initiatives to promote the day.
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