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Keeping Business Local in Hinckley

Local businesses are the lifeblood of the community people don’t like losing shops and services in their town, but don’t always equate this to how they spend their money. Shops and local businesses will only survive if customers spend locally – so if you want a vibrant town centre, where people what to work, shop, socialise and do business, start thinking about how and where you spend your hard earned cash and buy local.

As more local businesses feel the effects of the recession, Hinckley Business Improvement District is calling on the local community and local businesses owners to support their town centre businesses. This follows findings from a recent survey that nearly a £187 million pounds per annum of the available disposable income in the Borough is spent outside of the town centre area. Local businesses must be able to compete with larger companies and keep local customers in their local area, rather than losing them to the attractions of city centres, out of town shopping complexes or other commercial centres.

This trend is hitting many market towns hard, but it’s also likely to have a knock-on impact on the wider community. Hinckley is home to many vibrant small businesses offering a range of services and products that some of the bigger names often struggle to match.

Many town centres in Britain look the same with franchises and multinationals. Independent shops and businesses create distinctive shopping and trading experiences and stock different products and provide great service. They can respond more quickly to the needs of local customers and can also be more innovative.

Buying local creates jobs, local businesses in our town creates local employment and self-employment. These people in turn spend in the local economy. Over half a million people are employed in retail alone in this countries villages and rural towns. Evidence shows that for every £10 spent in an independent shop £25 is generated for the local economy compared to £14 spent in multinationals.

Local independent shops invest more in communities, sole traders and independent businesses are proportionally more generous in their support for local charities, carnivals, schools and community events. So supporting local businesses means a financial return for your community.

Buying local saves the environment, we are all aware of CO2 emissions and our environmental impact. Local businesses, often stock a high percentage of locally sourced goods and products, and long car & bus journeys aren’t required, so helping reduce our global footprints.

Buying local saves services, private, voluntary and public sector services cluster around town centres. The loss of the high street often corresponds to a reduction in these services. If local businesses disappear, so will hairdressers, dentists, banks etc.

Local businesses provide a wide range of great products and services at affordable prices, people get out of the habit of buying locally & are then surprised by the range of products and services available.

Buying local saves you money, out of town shops have done a good job of convincing us all that sole traders are expensive, but the evidence just isn’t there to back this up. If you add in travel, parking costs, fees to transport larger items home and your time, the overall cost is often much higher.

Local businesses value customers more, evidence from numerous surveys shows people receive better customer care and service in local businesses. Traders survive by their reputation and repeat business – so buying local means customers get a higher standard of service.

Buying local is the only way to prevent communities, and local choice, from disappearing! So before you spend think, can I get that product or service locally. To help you find your local goods and services more easily we are creating a comprehensive town centre business directory which will be available both on line and in a hard copy.

So weather you are looking for that perfect gift idea, a new state of the art TV, a local accountant, web designer, a new pair of shoes, great restaurant or local reliable electrician, look local first! We challenge you to find a product or service that you can’t find locally and if you cant we will find one for you.   

So just to recap here are the top ten reasons to buy local:

  1. Your town centre is the heart of your community, use it, don’t lose it.
  2. Getting to your local town is more convenient and cheaper.
  3. Local businesses provide great service and value their customer.
  4. Local businesses offer unique products not available in clone towns.
  5. Local business owners invest in the community.
  6. Local businesses provide a local jobs.
  7. Local businesses support other local businesses.
  8. Buying local reduces my carbon footprint.
  9. Local businesses safe guard your local services.
  10. Buying local can save you money.