This coming Monday is the beginning of the 6-week countdown to Independent Retailer Month. This is a great opportunity for individual retailers, small groups or even whole towns to create fun and engaging promotions, activities and events that will attract new and existing customers into the store, and the area, to celebrate their local, independent retailers throughout July.
What is Independent Retailer Month?
Since its UK Launch in July 2011, Independent Retailer Month has grown rapidly, engaging 1000s of retailers and consumer-facing businesses UK-wide. It highlights the important role that smaller, independent retailers play in the communities they serve, the local economy they contribute to, and in the retail sector as a whole.
By encouraging independent retailers, groups of retailers, and even whole towns, to create fun and engaging promotions, activities and events during the month of July, the campaign tackles the very real issue of declining footfall in towns and village centres.
Independent Retailer Month UK is a key annual activity from the year-round “Support for Independent Retail” campaign. This campaign offers support, advice, ideas and inspiration. Its aim is to help independent retailers and those who serve consumers to get, and stay, open for business! The campaign receives no government funding and is reliant on sponsorship and goodwill. In 2013 the campaign is urging people to pledge to support independent retailers by diverting just 20% of what they spend elsewhere to their local, independent retailers – for more on that see Article: Pledge your support for Independent Retail
If you want to get involved with Independent Retailer Month you are very welcome! From your own, unique instore activities, to working with other retailers in your area, to getting the whole town involved, you can find out more about things you can do via http://www.independentretailermonth.co.uk/get-involved and, when you’ve decided on activities, we can promote them via http://www.independentretailermonth.co.uk/events/2013. To help you along we’ve made a number of FREE resources available, see http://www.independentretailermonth.co.uk/resources and don’t forget you can also promote your shop, free via www.independentshops.co.uk
To find out why we believe it’s critical that consumers support local, independent retailers see http://www.independentretailermonth.co.uk/about.
What is available to you to help you make the most of the campaign?
If you are already planning to get involved with Independent Retailer Month 2013 it is surprising how quickly it will be here… Just 6 weeks on Monday!!! To help you to get ready I’ve provided the following:
- A webinar to introduce the campaign and share ideas as to how it can be used by a single store, a group or stores, or by a whole town, to increase consumer engagement throughout July – you can watch that via https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/791490110
- A downloadable guide – “how to make the most of independent retailer month” which is ideal for anyone thinking of taking part in the campaign – see http://www.independentretailermonth.co.uk/resources/how%20to%20get%20the%20most%20out%20of%20independent%20retailer%20month.pdf
- Artwork for the 2013 campaign – there is an “Indie Month 2013 – Materials” Dropbox folder from which you can download artwork for the campaign – posters, thank-you cards, logos and the “I “heart” Indie Shops” window sticker – see https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hrxx2tey7jms770/sqUMsHLUDA?lst
- An events page – details of how to get listed on our events page are via www.independentretailermonth.co.uk/events. As we populate this page with more and more of the activities we’ll add a UK map that will highlight all the areas participating during July – this will help people to find out more about what’s going on near them
Don’t forget, it doesn’t matter if you are a single store, a small group or a whole town – if you want to get involved with Independent Retailer Month you are very welcome! If you need any further support, please contact us!
Thanks for reading; We look forward to celebrating with you, and your customers, throughout July!