Wellsford businesses deliver Shop Local message

Businesses in Wellsford are banding together to encourage shoppers and visitors to ‘shop local’.

At a Wellsford Promotions meeting last month, about 20 business representatives agreed to support the initiative put forward by Kaiwaka resident Grant Marshall.

Mr Marshall, who has an advertising and marketing background, said that in the current recession, people were thinking twice before spending. He felt it was important for local residents to see the advantages of shopping locally, not the least of which was keeping local people employed.

“You also get good service locally, so why not support the local traders,” he said.
Mr Marshall’s idea of a poster campaign was well-received at the meeting. The poster, with the message ‘Support Your Local Town – Shop Local’ will be displayed at all participating shops.

“This is just the beginning,” Mr Marshall said. He suggested that the campaign could be expanded to include bumper stickers, road signs and shopping promotions.
Cr Grahame Powell said he fully supported the initiative but said businesses also had to be competitive on price.

David Hall volunteered to distribute the posters, which are expected to appear in shops from this month onwards.

On the issue of encouraging motorists to stop, suggestions included filling empty shops with displays, better signage particularly of parking areas and better promotion of local attractions such as the Albertland and Districts Museum.

The Wellsford Promotions Group meets at the Wellsford RSA on the first Tuesday of every month, starting at 5.30pm.

Grant Marshall (left) had no trouble convincing Halls Retravision boss David Hall that the Shop Local campaign was worth supporting. Mr Hall said he liked the idea of getting the ball rolling with a campaign that was relatively easy to organise. “Hopefully, it will encourage people to come forward with other ideas.”