The boss of a brewery and taproom in Gloucestershire is urging people to support local independent businesses in the run-up to Christmas.
Greg Pilley, founder and managing director of Stroud Brewery, made the plea to shoppers ahead of Small Business Saturday on December 3. The UK grassroots campaign, which is now in its tenth year, promotes independent businesses and encourages people to spend their money with small firms on the high street and online.
Mr Pilley said there are "huge benefits" of buying locally and that more than 70% of the suppliers the brewery buys from were within a 50-mile radius of Stroud.
“I’d really urge people to look to their local shops and businesses this year when they’re doing their Christmas shopping," he said. "These businesses employ local people so spending with them will also be helping our own community to survive the current economic problems. Recent government research calculated that over a third of every £10 spent locally stays local. And you get great customer service.”
Mr Pilley established Stroud Brewery as a "passion project" making ethical and organic beer in 2006, and it has since grown to become a successful enterprise, with the taproom a popular local destination. His plea comes as small businesses, particularly retailers, continue to struggle with tough trading conditions in the UK.
Dozens of high street brands have gone bust in 2022 after coming under extreme financial pressure. The British Retail Consortium revealed on Friday (December 2) that total UK footfall decreased by 13.3% in November - 1.5 percentage points worse than October. it is worse than the three-month average decline of 11.5%.
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “Footfall took another stumble as the cost-of-living crisis put off some consumers from visiting the shops in November. Others opted to stay home due to the scattering of rail strikes, or chose the World Cup over shopping visits. Many big cities were particularly hard hit, with Birmingham, Bristol and Manchester all seeing the biggest drops in footfall since January."
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