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North Yorkshire cycle hub up for top tourism award

22 Mar 2024

Rob Brown, co-director of Dalby Forest Cycle Hub, a not-for-profit hire scheme has been nominated for the Tourism Superstar 2024 award, run by VisitEngland.
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Independent retail bodies welcome new report aimed at tackling retail crime.

21 Mar 2024

ACS (The Association of Convenience Stores) and the Federation of Independent Retailers (The Fed) have both welcomed a new report published by the Association of Police and Crime... Read more…

Indie retailers outperformed supermarkets in sales of organic food, wellness and beauty products in 2023.

21 Mar 2024

As reported by Healthstores UK, new data contained in the 2024 Soil Association Organic Market report shows that independent retailers delivered an impressive 10% growth in 2023, with... Read more…

Cheltenham beer shop and bar wins top UK award.

21 Mar 2024

An independent bottle shop and bar in Cheltenham has been named as the UK's Independent Beer and Wine Retailer of the Year 2024 at the Drinks Retailing Awards. 
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Welsh Government Announce £20m Future Proofing Fund for Retail Businesses in Wales

21 Mar 2024

A number of organisations, including Bira (the British Independent Retailers’ Association), other trade associations, BIDs and unions have met with officials from the Welsh Government to... Read more…

High Street Faces 'Unprecedented Challenges' says Trade Association

21 Mar 2024

The British Independent Retailers’ Association (Bira) has reacted to data released by PwC and the Local Data Company exploring the state of the UK retail landscape.
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Greeting Card Association expresses concern on new evidence Royal Mail prioritising parcel deliveries over letters.

6 Mar 2024

The Greeting Card Association has reacted to a BBC Panorama programme lifting the lid on Royal Mail management prioritising parcel delivery over letters, which it says are in contradiction of... Read more…

Kate Bush named as Record Store Day ambassador.

4 Mar 2024

Pop star Kate Bush has been announced as an ambassador for this year's Record Store Day, on 20 April.
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Shortlist for Independent Bookshop of the Year 2024 revealed.

4 Mar 2024

The British Book Awards has announced its shortlist for Independent Bookshop of the Year. 
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Local Bike Shop Day 2024 confirmed for Saturday May 4th.

4 Mar 2024

The ACT is happy to confirm the date for Local Bike Shop Day 2024 as Saturday 4 May, the weekend of the early May Bank Holiday.
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Seaside town bucks the trend with indie retail thriving

Posted on in Business News, Cycles News

Weston-super-Mare seems to be one town in the UK bucking the national trend, with new shops opening and businesses reporting an increase in trade, according to a report by Bristol Live.

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The bike hub has seen local e-bike retailer UFO grow their well-known local business and expand into an additional space and now offers a bike hire scheme for visitors and residents. Popular Bristol based coffee business, Can’t Dance Coffee, has also expanded, bringing its coffee and baked delights to what was previously the Food Court.

Traders in The Sovereign say they have seen an increase in footfall over the past few months - some which has been attributed to the additional 500,000 visitors coming to Weston-super-Mare .

The Sovereign manager Alan Smith said the centre offered a good retail mix.
“Moving away from just mainstream retailers is essential for the continued growth of The Sovereign. Thanks to the support of the local community we can grow and bring more local retailers."
Other new businesses have sprung up in Weston High Street over the last year, including Imagination Fascination play centre, Maxxisave in the former Argos store and the Captain Kandy sweet shop on the High Street. Orchard Meadows has also welcomed some new faces including Vintage Abs clothes shop and Christopher’s Chocolates.

Although Weston does still have several empty shops, retailers said its future is looking good. Weston BID chairman and town centre trader Paul Batts said: “We have a really good selection of independent shops, especially in Grove Village and Orchard Meadows.
 
“We have also seen new, specialist and unique businesses opening in our areas and in the High Street in some of the smaller units. We are noticing post pandemic that people are more interested in supporting their local independent shops and our independent offering in Weston is getting stronger and stronger, making it a great shopping destination all year round.”

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