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Indie retail village wins Hospitality Hero Velvet Award for 2024

24 Jun 2024

An independent retail village in Ely that celebrates its one-year anniversary this month has won the Hospitality Hero Velvet Award for 2024.
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Bike shop owner slams police’s “abject apathy” after three shops broken into in one night

24 Jun 2024

A cycle shop owner has criticised the police’s “abject apathy” towards bike theft after thieves attempted to break into his store for the second time in a year, on the same... Read more…

A simple comparison of the General Election manifestos

24 Jun 2024

With less than three weeks to go until the General Election, Bira has produced a simple table comparing manifestos for Labour, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Green Party and Reform UK, and... Read more…

Independents Day message - supporting independent shops boosts local jobs and economies.

24 Jun 2024

With the annual Independents’ Day weekend coming up on July 6th and 7th, independent retailers have been reinforcing the message that supporting independent shops boosts... Read more…

Euro 2024 predicted to deliver multi-million-pound boost for independent retailers

24 Jun 2024

Research from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has suggested 6% of shoppers will buy a new TV or electronic device during the Euros, 4% will purchase official merchandise and nearly 10% will... Read more…

Bira leads £1 billion damages claim against Amazon by UK retailers in landmark collective action

12 Jun 2024

A £1 billion damages claim has been filed against Amazon on behalf of retailers selling on Amazon’s UK marketplace for illegally misusing their data and manipulating the Amazon Buy... Read more…

Bira responds to KPMG Retail Sales Monitor report

10 Jun 2024

The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) has responded to the BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor for May 2024.
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Small independent Harrogate shop does it again at the national level with new awards glory

10 Jun 2024

Independent Harrogate computer shop Phase 4 Computers has been named as a finalist in the Tech Awards 2024.
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Knutsford fashion show highlights town's 'amazing independent shops'

10 Jun 2024

Independent boutiques in Knutsford have teamed up once again to showcase their new designs at the third Flash Fashion.
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Increasing numbers of UK consumers limiting their spending to goods on promotion

10 Jun 2024

Research of over 1,000 UK shoppers by Pricer shows 27% now only buy grocery items which are on offer – a +6 percentage increase compared to 2023. 
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Consumers feel protective of independent shops and want to support them for their ‘social good’

Posted on in Business News

New research has found that consumers feel protective of independent shops and want to support them for their ‘social good’.

pictureque high street

The research, by Faire, the online wholesale marketplace, is based on a survey of 2,000 consumers and 100 independent UK retail leaders conducted by Opinium.

It found that:

  • 30% of British consumers say they feel responsible for supporting independent retailers.
  • 32% of those surveyed said shopping at independents allows them to reduce their carbon footprint and 20% said they think indies provide more sustainable products.
  • Despite this, 48% of British consumers still think independent shops are too expensive when compared to larger chains and online marketplaces.

Despite wanting to support the sector, 20% of British consumers have cut back on shopping at independent retailers because of the cost-of-living crisis – but that there are significant opportunities if independent retailers adopt digital innovation.

Other key take-aways include:

  • independent retail is under pressure in adverse economic conditions…

    • 20% of British consumers are cutting back on shopping with independent retailers because of the cost-of-living crisis.
    • 48% of British consumers think independent shops are too expensive when compared to larger chains and online marketplaces.
  • The independent businesses thriving at the moment are the ones innovating with digital technologies:

    • Among independent retailers, 66% felt their businesses were thriving thanks to digital transformation and 48% said that embracing technology has increased revenues.
    • 61% of the small-to-medium-sized independent retailers surveyed who operate both in-store and digitally report that their business is thriving.
    • The number of independent retailers using Faire in the UK has now hit 45,000: four times the number of stores than the four largest supermarket chains combined.
  • In fact, digital innovation represents a major opportunity for independent retailers to thrive.

    • 92% of the retail leaders agreed offering consumers the ability to browse goods online would enhance the shopping experience.
    • 73% of consumers said that integrating some form of digital retail service would encourage them to shop at their local retailers more

Commenting on the report, Olivier Buffon, Head of International at Faire, said: “Small and independent businesses are the backbone of our economy and our local communities. What this report shows is that consumers turn to them to provide products that are quality, which reflect their values, and which are thoughtfully curated.
“Combine this with the promise of digital innovation, both in how retailers source goods but also in offering digital ecommerce options to consumers, and it’s clear that despite some challenges, independent retail has a bright future.”

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