Time to hit the shops and bag some bargains

Independent businesses have joined forces with the Star for the annual campaign which runs until this Sunday (July 6).

Many of them have fantastic special Independents’ Day offers to take advantage of, so make sure you check them out today or over the next few days.

Organised by the National Skills Academy for Retail, Independents’ Day is a national annual campaign which aims to give a voice to the UK’s independent retailers.

Local shops and service providers boost the local economy (statistics show that money spent locally stays locally), provide genuine choice and are a good environmental option.

It is a huge loss to communities when local businesses close down, but they can only survive if customers spend money. So help them and help yourself by shopping local, especially over the next few days!

This week your St Helens Star is celebrating the special contribution the independent sector makes to our town.

While St Helens might not have the range of big department stores you would find in Liverpool or Manchester, is that such a bad thing?

What does make our town centre unique is the range of homegrown independent shops offering everything on your doorstep, from big city style and exclusive jewellery to greengrocers packed with local produce. Not many other towns can offer the boutique styles of Tyrers or the eclectic vinyl collection of Kaleidoscope Records.

So support our independent St Helens businesses and help ensure they continue to flourish for many years to come.

Town centres have never been under more pressure than they are now. The economic climate, together with the growth of online and out-of-town retailing, have led to hard times on the high street, but St Helens retailers are fighting hard to buck the trends, with the support of St Helens Chamber and St Helens Council.

Tracy Mawson, director of business services at St Helens Chamber, explains: “The real strength behind our town centre, and the reason we have seen higher occupancy rates of retail units than in comparable town centres across the region, is the strength of our independent retailers and the determination of the business people behind them to succeed.

“Our businesses advisers work closely with independent retailers who want to grow their businesses in spite of the external economic pressures, supporting them with everything from recruitment and training to ways to market their business.

“We also work closely with the police and St Helens Council to provide an award-winning ShopWatch initiative that enables retailers to share intelligence and reduce losses to theft, which can have a major impact on a small retailer’s profitability.”

According to Tracy, the ShopWatch scheme has had a very tangible effect and crime rates are now notably lower in St Helens than in years gone by.

Partnership working is very important in St Helens, and the chamber provides regular forum meetings for town centre businesses to come together to raise any issues they may be experiencing.

Cllr Barrie Grunewald, leader of St Helens Council, agrees and believes that the spirit of co-operation is a real strength in St Helens.

“We’ve listened to retailers’ views and are only too aware of the issues and challenges facing them,” he said.

“We know our efforts are bearing fruit here in St Helens because we’re seeing a higher footfall in the town centre compared with the national average. Retailers also report increased sales figures when we stage events.”

local produce. Not many other towns can offer the boutique styles of Tyrers or the eclectic vinyl collection of Kaleidoscope Records.

So support our independent St Helens businesses and help ensure they continue to flourish for many years to come.

Town centres have never been under more pressure than they are now. The economic climate, together with the growth of online and out-of-town retailing, have led to hard times on the high street, but St Helens retailers are fighting hard to buck the trends, with the support of St Helens Chamber and St Helens Council.

Tracy Mawson, director of business services at St Helens Chamber, explains: “The real strength behind our town centre, and the reason we have seen higher occupancy rates of retail units than in comparable town centres across the region, is the strength of our independent retailers and the determination of the business people behind them to succeed.

“Our businesses advisers work closely with independent retailers who want to grow their businesses in spite of the external economic pressures, supporting them with everything from recruitment and training to ways to market their business.

“We also work closely with the police and St Helens Council to provide an award-winning ShopWatch initiative that enables retailers to share intelligence and reduce losses to theft, which can have a major impact on a small retailer’s profitability.”

According to Tracy, the ShopWatch scheme has had a very tangible effect and crime rates are now notably lower in St Helens than in years gone by.

Partnership working is very important in St Helens, and the chamber provides regular forum meetings for town centre businesses to come together to raise any issues they may be experiencing.

Cllr Barrie Grunewald, leader of St Helens Council, agrees and believes that the spirit of co-operation is a real strength in St Helens.

“We’ve listened to retailers’ views and are only too aware of the issues and challenges facing them,” he said.

“We know our efforts are bearing fruit here in St Helens because we’re seeing a higher footfall in the town centre compared with the national average. Retailers also report increased sales figures when we stage events.”