Introducing an Independent Christmas

The 'Celebrate an Independent Christmas' campaign - part of Support for Independent Retail - was created by Clare Rayner, The Retail Champion, in 2012, following the success of Independent Retailer Month.

The Celebrate an Independent Christmas campaign encourages families within the community to explore and visit their local independent shops in the pre-Christmas period, and hopefully divert some of their Christmas budget away from the online giants and major chains and back into the tills of local shops. This is all achieved by inviting consumers to take part in a Christmas Shopping Challenge.

The purpose of the Christmas Shopping Challenge is to drive footfall to independent shops. The campaign encourages participating retailers to commit to make the most of it by delivering great service, doing what they do best, and engaging with those who enter their shops.

Whilst the campaign can't promise increased sales, many retailers will certainly benefit from a sales uplift during the campaign period. However, the focus is not exclusively on increasing sales, but is also about generating increased awareness of local businesses. In addition, the Christmas Shopping Challenge is a great way for the local business community to work together!

Christmas Shopping Challenge!

The celebrate an Independent Christmas campaign team developed the Christmas Shopping Challenge to create a fun activity for independent retailers and their customers. However, through the fun aspects, it is hoped that reconnecting consumers with local traders will in turn have a positive social and economic impact on their locale.

The campaign is a nationwide effort to improve footfall to our high streets, towns and village centres, increase consumer confidence and boost retail sales.

Helping Consumers Find Independent Shops

To help consumers find independent shops near them, we have created a searchable directory of the UK's independent retailers. The directory makes it easy for shoppers to find their local independent shops - especially important in the run-up to Christmas!

It is FREE to list your business, allows consumers to search by town and postcode, provides regular social media promotion for retailers via Twitter, and is also open to online-only retailers. In fact, any business that primarily serves the consumer can get a listing, including shops, cafes, restaurants and salons.

With thousands of visitors each month looking for independent shops across the UK, listing your business in the directory could help provide a steady supply of new ideal customers! To find out more, visit our independent shop directory.

Pledge Your Support for Independent Retail in 2013

In research conducted for the FSB, the Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES) discovered that for every £1.00 spent locally, around 50p-70p recirculated back into the local economy. However, for the same £1.00 spent out of town or online, a mere 5p trickles back to the local community.

These results are compelling and sufficient to convince most people that when they shop locally, they are genuinely having a positive impact on their community!

As local business owners, we must remember that we too are consumers and must set an example by shopping local and educating customers on how valuable their purchases are. When people appreciate the impact their spending can have, we believe that they will make a bigger effort to spend more with local independent businesses.