Town centre traders in Shrewsbury are being hailed for their fighting spirit as they adapt to survive in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak.
Business leaders called on people to continue to support their local traders at a time when they needed them most.
Seb Slater, executive director of Shrewsbury BID (Business Improvement District), said the response to firstly the devastating floods, and then the coronavirus pandemic, had been inspirational.
“It has been so encouraging to see businesses rising to the challenge in a variety of enterprising and innovative ways,” he said.
“Pubs, bars and restaurants, despite being forced to close to the public, are offering deliveries, and lots of shops are moving their business online.
“We are launching a Shrewsbury online platform in the coming days where people will be able to buy vouchers for their favourite town centre businesses, which they can spend when things get back to normal, and I would urge as many businesses as possible to get involved.
“It will be called Support Shrewsbury and we would encourage businesses to register their interest at supportshrewsbury.co.uk”
Among the traders reacting to the sudden change in customer behaviour are Dough and Oil, which has launched a delivery service, Draper’s Hall, which has a launched a subscription service for home-delivered meals, and Shrewsbury Market Hall, which is offering home delivery for the first time.
Vivek Bhatia, of Dough and Oil in Castle Street, said: “We all know these are tough and strange times. Our customers are what’s important to us, which is why we closed our restaurant early and switched our focus to delivery.
“We want to send out a positive message of solidarity - eat well, stay well and keep your spirits up. A big thanks to everyone supporting us, it keeps us going.”
A round-up of businesses offering delivery or online shopping has been added to the Original Shrewsbury website at originalshrewsbury.co.uk
