Independents’ Day 2011 Your High Street Needs You!

On 4th July 2011 across the country, the public will be encouraged to buy at least one item from their local, independent shop to keep the high street alive.

Skillsmart Retail and the National Skills Academy for Retail have teamed up with independent retailers and trade associations around the country to encourage the public to celebrate diversity on the high street and support their local, independent retailers on 4th July.

Fresh data from Local Data Company’s surveys of 2,700 UK retail destinations highlights that high street vacancy rates have started to rise again. The Local Data Company states that 14.6% of outlets are now vacant.

This indicates that approximately 50,000 units are now not currently open to business on the UK high streets, showing just how challenging the situation is on the ground.  Although Beverley has fared better than many other towns, the pressure of rising rents and competition from the internet mean that times continue to be uncertain for many local independent shops.

Antony Barton from Amanti in Wednesday Market commented:

“Because of high rents, Beverley’s independent shops tend to be clustered on the edges of town so customers need to make a positive choice to go to them.  We have so many wonderful independent shops here and it would be a shame to lose any more. ”

“In Wednesday Market alone we’ve got Ye Olde Pork Shoppe butchers, Peck’s fishmongers, Jack’s deli, Figaro jewellery and Amanti where we sell gifts, home accessories and furniture.  We hope that the publicity around Independents’ Day will encourage people to try an independent shop they’ve never been in before and experience the great quality of products and services on offer.”

Anne Seaman, Chief Executive of Skillsmart Retail said:

“We are delighted to lead this campaign and support small retailers. Raising awareness amongst the public is one of the biggest challenges smaller retailers face and our message is about encouraging the public to use their local high street and understand how important a diverse retail sector is.

It’s also essential that local retailers understand that to compete today they need to be top of their game. The time for sitting back has passed and action is required: Your high street needs you!”