Patricia Ferguson MP has commended the work of the Fed’s new national deputy vice president, Nathalie Fullerton, as a representative of independent retailers in an Early Day Motion (EDM) published in Parliament, and has passed on her congratulations in person in a visit to her business on Dumbarton Road in Glasgow.
Ferguson, the Glasgow West MP where Nathalie’s business is based, published the motion in early July and visited the Go Local in Partick last week.
The Motion congratulated her on her election at the recent Fed conference in Birmingham in June, and Ferguson presented Nathalie with a framed version of the EDM.
The motion was also published on the parliamentary website and endorsed by Democratic Unionist politician, Jim Shannon MP, who visited a Fed business in his Northern Ireland constituency earlier this year and has backed the Fed’s work to control rising energy bills.
The commendation “recognises that her appointment is a reflection of her hard work and leadership on behalf of independent retailers… and as a voice for Women in Convenience, helping drive real change for women across the retail sector; notes that Nathalie’s election will further ensure that the voices of Scottish retailers will be represented and central to The Fed’s work.”
The EDM can also be viewed on the parliamentary website here.
During the meeting, the pair discussed the employment, services and friendly face the small independent retail business provides. They also discussed opportunities for small shops in the future, including the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for recycling bottles and the return point Nathalie has already installed in her business ahead of the scheme’s launch in October 2027.
However, the meeting also touched on points of concern for Fed members in Scotland and across the country, particularly relating to retail crime and rogue trade and its impact on responsible retailers.
Nathalie spoke about her experience as a member of the advisory board of Police Scotland’s Retail Crime Taskforce and the Fed’s call for more robust support when it comes to theft as well as the need for greater resourcing for Trading Standards.
The discussion also touched on the challenge caused by high commercial and government costs and incoming Labour leader Andy Burnham’s promise to back High Street businesses including small retailers.
Nathalie said: “It was a very positive and useful discussion and the Fed looks forward to working more closely with Patricia in Westminster whilst continuing our work in the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood as well.”
Ferguson added: “I’d like to congratulate Nathalie again for all her advocacy for retailers. I look forward to working further with the Fed and her in the future.”
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