Committing to shop locally more when restrictions ease.
And other ways to revitalise our town centres.
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At the beginning of the pandemic, local shops were seen to be providing a valuable service:
Shop local! – Vision Group for Sidmouth
The question being whether shopping locally would become a new, ingrained habit:
Our changing shopping habits – Vision Group for Sidmouth
And as the lockdown has been easing these last days, attention has turned to promoting local shops:
Strategies to open up Sidmouth: protecting shoppers and workers – Vision Group for Sidmouth
This strategy goes back to before the pandemic of course:
Totally Locally: supporting our local economy – Vision Group for Sidmouth
Which is fundamentally about creating ‘resilience’:
Building a resilient local economy in 2020 – Vision Group for Sidmouth
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The Mirror has just launched a campaign to get us back to our local shops:
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How you can help save our High Streets by joining our Shop for Britain campaign
As part of the Daily Mirror’s Shop for Britain campaign we are urging people to make a conscious decision about where you shop, and what you buy, in a bid to help businesses across Britain in tough times
The power of the pound in your pocket means that shoppers can make a huge difference to the country. Making a conscious decision about where you shop and what you buy can help businesses across Britain in tough times. That means supporting shops in your local area, as many people do already.
How you can help save our High Streets by joining our Shop for Britain campaign – Mirror Online
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And earlier in the month, the Mirror was pointing to our apparent determination to look after our local shops:
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Third of Brits vow to shop more locally when lockdown restrictions are lifted
As part of the Daily Mirror’s Shop for Britain campaign we found an overwhelming support for our high streets – despite online retailers such as Amazon enjoying booming sales in lockdown
Eight out of 10 people say the high street is vital to their community, and a third vow to shop locally more when restrictions ease, a Mirror poll has revealed. That will be music to the ears of tens of thousands of worried store-owners whose shops, selling “non-essential” items, are set to reopen a week today across England.
Third of Brits vow to shop more locally when lockdown restrictions are lifted – Mirror Online
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Finally, though, the question is whether ‘the revival of our high streets’ is simply about shopping – or more than that:
“The town square is more than a marketplace.” – Vision Group for Sidmouth
And whether their vibrancy can be secured beyond retail footfall:
High Streets: Agents for Economic Change – Vision Group for Sidmouth
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photo: Sidmouth High Street with bunting and… © David Smith :: Geograph Britain and Ireland