MP supports ‘Save our Shops’ campaign
LLANELLI’S MP was out and about in Llanelli town centre last week with local representatives from Usdaw, the shopworkers’ trade union, which has launched a campaign to ‘Save our Shops’.
The union is pushing for ways to create a more level playing field between our high street shops and online retail and, as well as collecting signatures for the ‘Save our Shops’ petition, Nia Griffith and Usdaw representatives discussed the challenges with local shopkeepers.
Ms Griffith said: “We all know the huge challenges our town centres face, and there are no easy answers. I welcome the recent launch by Usdaw of their strategy to ‘Save our Shops,’ as we all need to work together to find solutions.
“I called in on a number of independent shops with Usdaw rep Peter Evans to discuss the problems they are facing. It was particularly worrying that while everyone welcomed the huge influx of visitors to Llanelli on the last Saturday in June, when we had the Armed Forces Day parade and an ’80s day, this had not actually increased sales for some shopkeepers.”
“We see big online retailers raking in profits, while local shops struggle to make enough money to pay all the bills, so we urgently need to look at ways to ensure that big online retailers pay their fair share of UK taxes, as well as looking at how best to support our town centre shops.”