People Of Evesham – Your New High Street Needs You!
Many Evesham residents find themselves frustrated – and perhaps a little sad – at
the amount of local High Street shops and services closing down each month. Now, everyone has an opportunity to do their bit to support their High streets by completing a three minute ‘Buy Local’ online questionnaire.’ Buy Local’ is a campaign sponsored by The Best of Evesham, a local company which champions recommended independent businesses in the Vale for the benefit of residents and businesses alike.
The core element of the campaign is a survey into shopping habits and what Evesham shoppers want from their high streets - the survey can befound on the home page at www.thebestofevesham.co.uk.
Now that the High St and Vine St area have undergone the multi million pound re-modelling it should bring people back in to town to support the local businesses who have suffered through the work. As Mary Queen of Shops says in her TV programme if we don’t use our independents we will lose them- so take part in the online survey and use your local shops!
The campaign has the support of Tony Rowland who is commercial partner of Timothy Lea & Griffiths commercial property agents and the Chairman of Vecta who commented:
“We have some distinctive and wonderful independent shops and businesses in our area, but we shouldn’t take them for granted. ‘Buy Local’ reminds us that they need the support both of residents and local policy makers.”
“We need to learn from other areas that have bucked the trend of empty shops and declining shopping areas. Now that we have a better looking High Street we will discuss how best to utilise it to the advantage of the open spaces for local traders and local visitors as well as the all important tourists he added.”
Alan Jones, who runs The Best of Evesham, added: “High streets without a variety of shops and services lack life, vibrancy and that all-important pint of milk! But we want to know how Evesham residents feel their local stores and retailers are faring? What’s good about them, what are the problems and what needs to be done to make them more successful?” Similar surveys are being run across of the whole of England. The results will be collated towards the end of August and the Evesham statistics will be mapped against the rest of the country.
For more information or to complete the survey, visit www.thebestof.co.uk/survey
Any local business owners wishing to show their support of the initiative and display a Free “Buy Local “ window sticker should contact The Best of Evesham via www.thebestofevesham.co.uk or call 01386 860869.