Living la vida local: how independent stores have made a comeback during coronavirus

Consumer buying habits have changed since lockdown began in March. Many have opted to support local retailers, but can that trend last?

Like other shops throughout the UK, the Edward Street Bakery in the West Yorkshire village of Saltaire has been closed throughout lockdown. But as it told its followers on social media “bakers gotta bake (and cook)”, so it has been running bake-a-longs via its Instagram account. From brownies to a peanut butter cornflake tart, fans have been able to join bakery staff in creating their own goodies at home. And as well as keeping customers happy it’s also inadvertently supporting other local businesses as the ingredients for the bake-a-longs can be bought from Mr Whetstone – a local refill shop.

Although this might stand out for sounding particularly delicious, it’s far from an isolated instance of an independent retailer finding innovative ways to connect with customers while its doors are closed. Across the country, store owners have shown ingenuity – and the public has been falling back in love with their local high streets as a result.

For many years, the fate of the British high street has been a staple of magazine features and newspaper business page reports alike. Yet, in what is perhaps one of the biggest surprises of 2020 – and there have been many – rather than being the death knell for the local shopping scene, coronavirus appears to have sparked a renaissance. Although some stores will not be lifting their shutters when regular trading resumes, others have seen a spike in business.

Falling in love with local

According to recent data from the analysts Kantar, it is small local shops and online retailers that have most benefited from changes in consumer behaviour during lockdown. In the three months to 17 May, the independently owned retailers surveyed saw sales increase at more than double the pace of the fastest-growing grocery chain. We have been turning to our local shops in ever greater numbers, with the same research finding that corner shops and independent grocery stores have experienced a 63% rise in trade.

A witness to this shift in shopping habits is Jackie Mulligan, founder of the digital platform ShopAppy.com, which allows consumers to connect with their local high street online. She says this shift towards shopping locally was initially driven by practicalities.

“The sea change that we saw at the beginning of lockdown was a result of the big superstores being unable to give people delivery slots and people didn’t feel safe going into those stores,” says Mulligan. As a result, there was a sudden discovery of local shops, she says.

ShopAppy.com itself experienced a huge growth in customer registrations as people looked for new ways to shop for groceries and essential goods. Over time, these same customers have begun to look for other products too, with gifts and even art becoming more popular. Mulligan says that two-thirds of artists who participated in this year’s online version of a local Makers’ Fair made sales.

Furthermore, these new customers are discovering that the local stores have a lot to offer. “They’re reporting that they couldn’t believe how good the fruit and veg was,” says Mulligan, adding that customers have also been wowed by the prices and lack of packaging.

Rather than being the death knell for the local shopping scene, coronavirus appears to have sparked a renaissance

Ensuring new habits stick

The challenge for local shop owners is to ensure that this shift in consumer spending habits continues longer term. How can they capitalise on this current upsurge?

Retailers need to act now, says Mulligan. “You can close your shop but still trade. You can close your cafe but still offer something. The key is to make it easy for customers to support local.”

The Edward Street Bakery offers one example of how to do this; other examples include allowing customers to ring up with orders or book appointments to visit the store.

Another option is to take advantage of the special offer to join ShopAppy.com for free until the end of July and connect with local consumers through that platform. “However ambitious you are, it’s difficult to save the high street on your own,” says Mulligan.

“People have turned to corner shops and local shops and we don’t want them to go back to old habits. We want them to have a bit more of a local choice when doing their shopping – supporting local is for life, not just for lockdown.”

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