Leek Post & Times

‘Community spirit will continue as we work together to launch new site’

Leek businesses form one-stop online shop...

- By Les Jackson leslie.jackson@reachplc.com

LEEK shops are joining the high street fightback.

The town is getting its high street online after 28 local businesses signed up to the new Totally Locally.shop platform, meaning local shoppers can browse and buy from Leek’s independen­t businesses in one place online.

Totally Locally is a grass roots initiative, backed by Visa. Now founder Chris Sands is encouragin­g shoppers in Leek to try out the new online platform to support the town’s independen­t businesses, with ambitions to roll it out on a national scale.

Twenty eight independen­t businesses in Leek have already signed up to the new platform.

Matt Booth, who runs Live Loaf Love with his wife Clare, said: “Totally Locally has been the inspiratio­n behind our move to Leek and has been instrument­al in transformi­ng Leek and helping the town and its fantastic independen­t businesses prosper. Shopping locally is vital for high streets to thrive and we are incredibly fortunate that locals in Leek continued to support us throughout lockdown and beyond. The new .Shop site gives us an incredible opportunit­y to bring all the small businesses in town together under one platform and offer customers a one stop shop for all their wants and needs.”

Meg Davies, who runs Miscos Chocolates with her husband Cisco, said: “Leek’s independen­t business community makes it a really unique town to visit. The spirit of shopping locally is very strong in our town and locals are incredibly keen to make sure local businesses thrive on the high street, so understand that they need to show their support on a regular basis. During lockdown, we showed how small businesses in Leek can pull together and show our support for our loyal customers and I’m sure that this community spirit will continue as we work together to launch the new Totally Locally .Shop site.”

Chris Sands said: “I was inspired to set up Totally Locally in 2010 after creating a really successful shop local campaign and strategy for Calderdale, where I live. Lots of other towns asked me to do similar for them. I have a great love of independen­t businesses and communitie­s, so I decided to give it away as a free kit, to empower individual­s and independen­t businesses to work together to help their local high streets thrive. A decade later, Totally Locally’s ‘Town Kit’ is used in over 60 towns across the UK.

“This year has been incredibly tough for local high street businesses, especially the independen­ts who rely on their communitie­s for survival. With the backing of Visa, we have rolled out a new virtual platform that brings together a town’s independen­t businesses online, making it easy for consumers to buy from all their local businesses in one place.

“Leek is the second town in the country to go live on the Totally Locally .Shop platform, and it’s been fantastic to see the enthusiast­ic response from the towns’ much-loved independen­t businesses so far with 28 businesses already signed up.

“This month, we’re also running our fourth Fiver Fest – a nationwide celebratio­n of Britain’s independen­t high streets. With 117 towns already taking part, and more towns expected to sign up, this equates to thousands of small businesses all banding together to help our high streets rebuild. Together with Visa, we’re encouragin­g people to get involved with Fiver Fest and spend £5 a week where they can with small, local businesses.”

To visit the site go to: https://leek. totallyloc­ally.shop.

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 ??  ?? Matt and Clare Booth and David Sheldon of Live Love Loaf in Leek.
Matt and Clare Booth and David Sheldon of Live Love Loaf in Leek.

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