Support Congleton’s Small Shops in Britain’s Small Shop Saturday
Local residents are being encouraged to support small independent shops and businesses during Britain’s first-ever ‘Small Shop Saturday campaign’ being held on Saturday 7 December.
The national campaign promotes the benefits of buying local and aims to capitalise on the busiest retail day of the year by encouraging the public to consider shopping with smaller businesses. It is estimated that for every pound that you spend with a local independent shop or locally owned business around 50-70p benefits your local community. When you shop at an out-of-town shopping centre or online, as little as 5p of every £1 spent finds its way back into the town.
As part of small shops Saturday Congleton will be pushing its ‘Shop Indie this Christmas Bauble hunt’. Town Centre Manager Jackie MacArthur explained: “Local people are being encouraged to visit local independent shops, pick up a free bauble sticker and add it to the tree found at the back of the Christmas in Congleton booklet. When they have 10 baubles on their tree they can get it signed at the Tourist Information Centre and get a free Christmas Chocolate Goodie.
“The aim is to get people to visit more independent shops in town and so the 21 shops listed in the hunt include many of the new shops that have set up in Congleton that people may not yet have visited, as well as shops that regularly attend the traders group.’
Christmas Bauble stickers can be picked up from Bare Health, Bear Grills, Bojangles, Brown’s Jewellers, Congleton Museum, Congleton Oatcakes Shop, Cost Cutter, DeLacey’s, Crema, Empire Menswear, House, House 2 Home, Missy Boutique, Newtons, R &J Moores Greengrocers, Retro 2, Simply Retro, Stationery Cupboard, Top Nosh, Victoria Mill, Victoria Bed Additions.
The Christmas bauble hunt runs until the 24 December, but some shops have special offers for Small Shop Saturday – for example every child who goes into Top Nosh on West Street to collect a sticker will get a free gingerbread man.
Jackie MacArthur added: “Local shops are the life and soul of the daytime community. They provide great customer service and local
