Keep on coming, say traders, after encouraging weekend footfall

BURTON traders are urging shoppers to “keep on coming” after encouraging footfall in the town on the final Saturday before Christmas amid Covid concerns.

On Saturday, the Burton Mail reported how one shop owner was concerned the latest Covid restrictions would make customers stay away on one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year. Peter Hardingham, director at the Start and Tremayne fashion accessories and gifts shop, said: “We want to issue a message to the people of Burton, which is please don’t desert the high street.”

On Saturday there was a steady flow of customers through Coopers Square shopping centre, and the town’s car parks were busy.

At Start and Tremayne, situated inside Coopers Square, Mr Hardingham’s wife, Linsey, said : “We are hanging in there, but it’s been difficult. It has been steady today, which is encouraging.”

Not far away, Tracey Fletcher, owner of The Bloom Box in Station Street, spoke for many independent shop owners when she said the message to shoppers was: “Keep on coming.” She was echoing a plea by Burton MP Kate Griffiths for folk to support small businesses in Burton and Uttoxeter in the run-up to Christmas following Small Business Saturday earlier this month.

Ms Griffiths said at the time: “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, our high streets, and an integral part of our recovery from the pandemic. In Burton and Uttoxeter, as I see every week on visits I undertake, we have some incredible small businesses. From farm shops selling Staffordshire grown produce, to superb restaurants offering culinary delights — our area has a lot to offer.”