Successful Independents Month, but the work goes on

Salisbury’s Independents Month has been hailed a huge success, with 2,000 Salisbury shopping bags being given away as residents show their support for the city’s independent businesses. 

The month-long campaign from Salisbury BID and Experience Salisbury aimed to champion Salisbury’s impressive indies and show how important it is to shop local. 

As part of celebrations, Salisbury BID funded the production of the stylish new Salisbury shopping bag. 2,000 were given away for free to shoppers when they spent over £20 in participating indie businesses. 

Emily Adamson, co-owner of Clearway Pets in the Cross Keys Shopping Centre, said: “Independents Month was brilliant for us. The original stock of Salisbury shopping bags were gone in just two days! It really made a difference to us as shoppers were spending extra in store to make sure they got one free.”  

Independents Month may have now ended but the need for local support continues. 

Dan Collins, Business Manager at Salisbury BID said: “We have had a great response from local people during Indepenents Month but indies are for life, not just for July. Salisbury is still in a period of recovery due to the coronavirus pandemic and every penny spent within the local economy helps to protect our city centre. Let’s keep up the good work and please remember to shop local where possible.” 

The future is looking positive though, with Salisbury recently named top bounce-back city in the UK by market research company Ipsos Mori. 

They found the city had the biggest recovery across the country since non-essential retail was allowed to reopen on 12th April. 

It is thanks in no small part to local support that Salisbury has fared better than other cities.  

Sarah Haydon, owner of Conker Boutique, said: “You have no idea how strongly we feel about our customers who have been loyal to us during lockdown and since lockdown has been lifted. We are so lucky to have customers who come back week after week and appreciate what we are trying to achieve here. We are in a lovely city and we need to keep it moving along. It’s great to see it buzzing again.” 

There is a lot to be excited about in Salisbury this summer. Events like Salisbury City Council’s Faye On The Square and Taste Salisbury are looking to attract both locals and visitors whilst bringing a vibrancy to the city centre. You can find details of all the local events happening this summer on the Experience Salisbury website.  

Experience Salisbury also has more details about Salisbury’s brilliant indie businesses, from blogs on why shopping local is so important to where to shop if you’re looking for eco-friendly options.