Skip to main content

Buy local


Many Daily Post readers will have seen the recent story about my hometown of Pwllheli and the decision by a planning inspector to allow an appeal from a major supermarket to allow it to sell non-food items. In his wisdom, the inspector said that there was no evidence that the sale of clothes, CDs, DVDs and books by this supermarket would affect other retailers in this small market town. Unfortunately, the evidence will only become clear when the ‘for sale’ sign goes up on small independent shops in the area.

What on earth is going on? Only earlier this year, Welsh councils were rightly criticised by the Farmers Union of Wales for not doing enough to encourage shoppers to buy local products and cut down on food miles. Can you think of any local campaign that is encouraging you, the consumer, to buy from your local shops?

This in sharp contrast to the situation five years ago, when the ‘Think Local, Buy Local, Act Local’ campaign was launched at the 2002 Anglesey Show to encourage local people to consider where they bought their food. Given the increasing prevalence of large supermarkets in the towns of North Wales since, it is a tragedy that the initial impetus from this campaign has been lost.

Indeed, it remains a mystery why that there is no ‘Buy Local’ campaign across North Wales to encourage people to buy from local shops and businesses to boost their area’s economy, support local employment and to help the environment by reducing ‘food miles’. Consumers and businesses must also understand that buying locally does not only mean only buying food from farmers’ markets, but that it must take into account all the other activities and enterprises that make up our small town and village communities in Wales.

For example, is it any surprise that post offices are being forced to close if they are not being given the opportunity to sell government and council services and, more significantly, consumers are being forced by large companies to pay their bills through direct debit instead of within their local post office?

However, with thousands of small post offices under threat, every person can make a difference. When on the campaign trail recently, one postmaster told me of a local businessman who makes a point of taking his firm’s considerable daily posting to his neighbourhood post office instead of employing large courier companies to do the job. It may cost him a bit extra in time and money but ensures vital business for another local business.

Imagine if every small firm in every town in North Wales did the same.

So let’s all personally adopt the ‘Think Local, Buy Local, Act Local’ campaign. It may no longer be officially running, but at least we can try and keep to its principles and ensure that we support small firms in our local areas as much as we can.

Daily Post 11th June 2007

Comments

Anonymous said…
Edwards of Conwy sausages have been for sale in Tesco for a while by the way. They are the best sausages in Britain. The shop in Conwy is a great place. We need more opportunities for local food through all outlets,

Matt Wright
June 13, 2007 12:34 am
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE IMPORTANCE OF FRANCHISING

When we talk about start-ups and entrepreneurship, rarely do we discuss the potential of franchising not only as a way of establishing new ventures in the economy but also as a method of growing existing businesses. According to the British Franchising Association, franchising is the granting of a licence by one person (the franchisor) to another (the franchisee), which entitles the franchisee to own and operate their own business under the brand, systems and proven business model of the franchisor. The franchisee also receives initial training and ongoing support, comprising all the elements necessary to establish a previously untrained person in the business. This enables individuals to start their own businesses without having to develop their own ideas and utilising an existing brand and established market. Of course, whilst each franchise business is owned and operated by the franchisee, the franchisor controls the quality and standards of the way in which the business is
Read more

Change your business through change

All business organisations, especially entrepreneurial small firms, must cope with an ever changing business environment. However, small firms have a very limited ability in being able to control and relate to changes in the environment, although this can depend on the context of change. For example, if a major customer changes increases its order, the entrepreneur should be able to predict events and actions with regard to the timing and consequences of such a change and forecast any changes in the required resources and cashflow. Given this, the entrepreneur can undertake rational short-interval planning activity in order to underpin organisational control. However, much of the change facing business today is largely unpredictable in terms of its timing and its consequences. In other words, such change is open-ended, with it often being unclear what is changing or why it is changing. For example, the effect of the 9/11 bombing of the World Trade Centre was largely unexpected and its
Post a Comment
Read more

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CREATIVE CLASSES

One of my favourite academic books of the last two decades must be the “Rise of the Creative Classes” by Professor Richard Florida.  This was one of the first detailed studies of the growing group of individuals who use their creativity and mental labour to earn a living and not only included those in arts and entertainment, but also people working in science and technology as well as knowledge-based professions such as healthcare, law, business, and finance.  Fast forward to 2022 and Professor Florida has written an updated report on the creative classes although he and his team now identify a different type of individual who is taking full advantage of the growth in digital platforms, social media, and online marketplaces.  Such ‘creators’ are defined as those who use digital technology to make and publish unique creative content, whether in the form of video, film, art, music, design, text, games, or any other media that audiences can access and respond to.  They also make their mon
Read more