Richmond’s independent business owners, town councillors and charity representatives have come together to hear from the organisers of Totally Locally, the UK's biggest community led High Street campaign.
Totally Locally exists to promote great independent shops and businesses and so help the local economy. It has calculated that if every adult in the Richmond area spent just £5 per week in their local independent businesses, instead of online or at the big supermarkets, it would be worth an extra £1.6 million per year going into our local economy.
Totally Locally has received national recognition, has been used in over 150 towns and has spread as far as New Zealand, France and Australia.
The meeting heard about success stories across the country and Richmond as a town is now an official partner in the Totally Locally scheme. There were presentations on how businesses can work together, how to develop successful local markets, and examples of activities that boosted footfall. It was emphasised that this is not just about retail and hospitality, but all local businesses, including services from garages and accountants to window cleaners and manufacturing companies, large and small.
Following on from the success of last year’s Magic Tenner campaign, those present heard about the strategies and tools available to support independent shops and businesses.
It was clear that this has stimulated a lot of ideas on how local businesses can work together and build a sustainable local economy. The next steps will be to put forward some specific actions and will start with another ‘Magic Tenner’ offer in May. Given the success of the last campaign, it is hoped that the next one will be even bigger.