{$inpagemarkup}

Search News

Results: 1-10 of 657


Bira welcomes Wales' business rates proposals but calls for key improvements

11 Jun 2025

Bira has welcomed the Welsh Government's consultation on business rate reforms for retail shops, whilst calling for significant improvements to ensure the proposals truly support high street... Read more…

New awards launch to champion Britain's independent high street heroes

9 Jun 2025

Retailers on Britain's high streets are being encouraged to put themselves forward for the first-ever Love Your High Street Awards, designed to celebrate the small businesses that bring... Read more…

"Tectonic shift" in employment law threatens independent retailer viability, warns Bira podcast

6 Jun 2025

Independent retailers are facing a "generational" transformation of employment law that could fundamentally change how small businesses operate, according to the final episode of Bira's first... Read more…

Retailers hope warm weather and bank holidays will boost high street sales

16 May 2025

ACT parent company Bira has said that members are hopeful the warm weather, Easter weekend and upcoming bank holidays will provide a much-needed boost to high street sales.
Read more…

Economic growth surges to 0.7%, but "April reality check" looms for high street retailers

15 May 2025

UK economy delivers strongest quarterly performance in a year despite forecasts of business downturn.
Read more…

Communities come together for Local Bike Shop Day 2025 celebrations

13 May 2025

Local Bike Shop Day 2025 brought a wave of... Read more…

ACT parent company Bira welcomes Bank of England's latest interest rate cut

8 May 2025

ACT parent company Bira has welcomed the Bank of England's decision to reduce interest rates from 4.5% to 4.25%, calling it a "much-needed boost" for the retail sector, including for cycling... Read more…

ACT parent company Bira responds to Beales' "Rachel Reeves Closing Down Sale" as iconic store makes final protest

8 May 2025

ACT parent company Bira has responded to the news that the 144-year-old Beales department store is staging a "Rachel Reeves Closing Down Sale" in its final weeks of trading, with giant yellow... Read more…

Employment Rights Bill - ACT and Bira answer your questions

28 Apr 2025

The Labour Government’s new Employment Rights Bill is set to be in force this year and the new regulations will impact high street retailers up and down the country.
Read more…

ACT parent company Bira welcomes Chancellor's action on unfair trade practices

25 Apr 2025

ACT parent company Bira welcomes the Chancellor's announcement of plans to create a level playing field for British businesses against unfair international trade practices.
Read more…

Back to news menu

Independents' Day UK campaign to culminate in full weekend celebration of indie retail sector across 3/4 July

Posted on in Business News, Cycles News

IndSalisbury high streetependents' Day UK, an initiative that emphasises driving footfall to independent shops on July 4th each year - has announced that for the first time, it will culminate in a full weekend of celebrations highlighting Britain's indie retailers, across Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th of July.

The campaign's organisers are asking consumers to "pledge a few pounds" to independent retailers, by spending at indies across the weekend. Independents' Day UK will be sponsored by Local Rewards, a programme developed by social media specialists, Maybe* Tech, which allows retailers to communicate with and reward shoppers - and is now live across hundreds of towns and cities across the UK.

Howard Robinson, a spokesperson for Independents' Day UK, commented: "The British independent retail sector has shown real resilience in the face of the Covid crisis across the last year, operating through extreme uncertainty and putting on a brave face for their customers and wider communities.

"We are asking the public to show their thanks by simply heading out across the weekend of July 3rd and 4th and spending a few pounds at a independent, or locally-owned retailers."

Independents' Day UK is supported by and works closely with, among others, the British Independent Retailers Association (Bira), the Independent Retail Confedration (IRC) and the Association of Town and City Management (ATCM).

Andrew Goodacre, CEO of Bira said, "Independents Day will soon be with us again - this time better and over a whole weekend. This year is probably the most important year for indie retail, as businesses look to rebuild following the pandemic.

"The money spent in local, independent shops makes a real difference to business owners and the local economy, so it would be great if the general public could support this campaign and spend at independents."

The campaign team estimates that last year, over 8,500 small shops across the UK engaged with the campaign - and is hoping that figure will reach at least 20,000 this year. Around 100 different town management teams, business improvement districts (BIDs), chambers of commerce and local business groups across the country participated in initiatives to promote the day.

This year's initiative, is sponsored by Local Rewards, a high street guides service launched by social media specialists Maybe* Tech.

The programme allows retailers to communicate with and reward shoppers now they have returned to the high street, it has been created with the intention of ‘levelling the playing field' between local retailers and giants like Amazon.

Participating retailers are able to cross-promote and support their high street neighbours to create an online network of connected traders.

Local Rewards also allows shoppers to see businesses near them and view their social media content as they are shopping the town or city. The aim is to provide every shopper with a prompt after each high street purchase that reveals somewhere else nearby that they may like to discover. All of the content is sourced from social media, connected via Google Maps and is connected to High Street payments from Visa, Mastercard and Amex.

 

Back to news menu

Useful links

If you have any other queries please contact us.