A More Sustainable Me by Ali Warner
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The one where we stay home and and support local businesses
Napoleon 1 called the UK a nation of shopkeepers. He was right then and it still rings true today. According the Federation of Small Businesses in 2019 the UK had a total of 5.82 million small businesses which account for three fifths of the employment and around half of turnover in the UK private sector.
And many of these businesses - cafes, yoga teachers, hairdressers, restaurants, and stationers, soap makers and dog walkers, gardeners, plumbers, cleaners, personal trainers - that make our New Malden community as diverse and culturally rich as it is, are single owner or small businesses.
They are hardy bunch local business owners - they work hard to hold their own against behemoths like Amazon, business rates and changing shopping patterns. And their fight to stay in business is not just of social benefit, it has an economic one too. For every £1 spent with a small or medium-sized business 63p stayed in the local economy, compared to 40p with a larger business.
But some business hits are hard to predict - and Covid 19 and its impact on local businesses is one of them.
It’s time for us as a community to fight this pandemic and keep our families and loved ones safe by staying home. But with no real end date to work towards - how do we help the sustainability of our local businesses, by doing what we can to help them stay in business?
Here are a few ways that we can show our support and help.
Buy gift cards
Get in touch with local businesses and see if you can purchase gift cards from them. Not only does this gesture help to funnel revenue their way, but you still get to practice social distancing. This act also sends the message that you will be shopping with them again in the future once things return to normal.
Local mobile beauticians are offering gift cards, Banquet records for example has launched ‘Vouch for us’ £20 gift vouchers that you can use to buy records online
Reschedule your appointments instead of cancelling
During times like these, everyone can use a morale boost. While we may not know what tomorrow or next week may look like, looking at this situation as if it is temporary—and it is—will help you and the local businesses in your area stay positive.
One of the ways you help is by rescheduling any appointments you have instead of cancelling. Its a way to show your trust and loyalty for the business and indicates that they will still have customers ready to jump back into their regular routines once this situation ends.
Try to buy the things you need to get you through quarantine from a local store’s website
Is there a local grocery store that can deliver fruit and veg? Can you buy craft activities or games for children from a local small business’s e-commerce site? Are your personal trainers or yoga teachers offering sessions online? If so support them.
Give then a shout out on social
Today people browse on social before they buy into a new brand - so if a local business is doing a good job or has done and will do again - tell people, give the local businesses some publicity by directing people to their websites, e-commerce stores, and social media accounts.
In the current climate it’s easy to feel helpless but if we keep supporting local businesses with our custom, hopefully we’ll still be able to enjoy the benefits of their company when all this comes to an end.
Napoleon 1 called the UK a nation of shopkeepers. He was right then and it still rings true today. According the Federation of Small Businesses in 2019 the UK had a total of 5.82 million small businesses which account for three fifths of the employment and around half of turnover in the UK private sector.
And many of these businesses - cafes, yoga teachers, hairdressers, restaurants, and stationers, soap makers and dog walkers, gardeners, plumbers, cleaners, personal trainers - that make our New Malden community as diverse and culturally rich as it is, are single owner or small businesses.
They are hardy bunch local business owners - they work hard to hold their own against behemoths like Amazon, business rates and changing shopping patterns. And their fight to stay in business is not just of social benefit, it has an economic one too. For every £1 spent with a small or medium-sized business 63p stayed in the local economy, compared to 40p with a larger business.
But some business hits are hard to predict - and Covid 19 and its impact on local businesses is one of them.
It’s time for us as a community to fight this pandemic and keep our families and loved ones safe by staying home. But with no real end date to work towards - how do we help the sustainability of our local businesses, by doing what we can to help them stay in business?
Here are a few ways that we can show our support and help.
Buy gift cards
Get in touch with local businesses and see if you can purchase gift cards from them. Not only does this gesture help to funnel revenue their way, but you still get to practice social distancing. This act also sends the message that you will be shopping with them again in the future once things return to normal.
Local mobile beauticians are offering gift cards, Banquet records for example has launched ‘Vouch for us’ £20 gift vouchers that you can use to buy records online
Reschedule your appointments instead of cancelling
During times like these, everyone can use a morale boost. While we may not know what tomorrow or next week may look like, looking at this situation as if it is temporary—and it is—will help you and the local businesses in your area stay positive.
One of the ways you help is by rescheduling any appointments you have instead of cancelling. Its a way to show your trust and loyalty for the business and indicates that they will still have customers ready to jump back into their regular routines once this situation ends.
Try to buy the things you need to get you through quarantine from a local store’s website
Is there a local grocery store that can deliver fruit and veg? Can you buy craft activities or games for children from a local small business’s e-commerce site? Are your personal trainers or yoga teachers offering sessions online? If so support them.
Give then a shout out on social
Today people browse on social before they buy into a new brand - so if a local business is doing a good job or has done and will do again - tell people, give the local businesses some publicity by directing people to their websites, e-commerce stores, and social media accounts.
In the current climate it’s easy to feel helpless but if we keep supporting local businesses with our custom, hopefully we’ll still be able to enjoy the benefits of their company when all this comes to an end.
