An independent store owner has called on retailers, wholesalers and suppliers to get behind the My Shop Is Your Shop (MSYS) campaign ahead of National Independents' Week on June 4-10.
Lesley Brown of Frankmarsh Stores in Barnstaple, Devon, told 200 delegates at the Federation of Wholesale Distributors' (FWD) annual conference that MSYS had ended the decline in her store's trading and "put some fun back into convenience retailing".
She said the campaign showed that independents could speak with a single voice. "With this voice we can raise the profile of our value to the local community and say, 'We are local and proud of it'. It is a positive voice putting forward a valued proposition, not a negative voice complaining about the Big Four," she added.
Lesley revealed her plans for National Independents' Week, which include a schools' day, a recycling event and a local produce day.
She said: "The MSYS campaign has given us the confidence and support to hold events like this, and made us realise that we need to organise our product offering, together with our friendly service, so the public is constantly reminded of the importance of the independent family business."
She invited wholesalers to appoint a MSYS champion in their branches and challenged suppliers to send a member of staff to work in an independent store during National Independents' Week.
FWD chairman Francis Ball told conference delegates: "You should be involved with My Shop Is Your Shop. It is a powerful and worthwhile campaign which is growing in momentum."
MSYS chairman Alan Toft added: "Thousands of others can do what Lesley is doing. It's where the future of independent retailing lies."
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Lesley Brown of Frankmarsh Stores in Barnstaple, Devon, told 200 delegates at the Federation of Wholesale Distributors' (FWD) annual conference that MSYS had ended the decline in her store's trading and "put some fun back into convenience retailing".
She said the campaign showed that independents could speak with a single voice. "With this voice we can raise the profile of our value to the local community and say, 'We are local and proud of it'. It is a positive voice putting forward a valued proposition, not a negative voice complaining about the Big Four," she added.
Lesley revealed her plans for National Independents' Week, which include a schools' day, a recycling event and a local produce day.
She said: "The MSYS campaign has given us the confidence and support to hold events like this, and made us realise that we need to organise our product offering, together with our friendly service, so the public is constantly reminded of the importance of the independent family business."
She invited wholesalers to appoint a MSYS champion in their branches and challenged suppliers to send a member of staff to work in an independent store during National Independents' Week.
FWD chairman Francis Ball told conference delegates: "You should be involved with My Shop Is Your Shop. It is a powerful and worthwhile campaign which is growing in momentum."
MSYS chairman Alan Toft added: "Thousands of others can do what Lesley is doing. It's where the future of independent retailing lies."
Add your comments or questions to this story here. Your contribution may be edited for publication. Your email address will not be published.
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