Nisa, which is under offer from the Co-operative Group, is trumpeting its success at employing social media to engage with retailers, customers and business partners.

The retail symbol and buying group now claims a strong showing on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and it has accounts for Nisa Retail and Nisa Locally – corporate and consumer respectively.

The consumer-facing Nisa Locally Facebook page has seen a 20% increase in “friends” over the past year to the end of September.

The @NisaLocally Twitter feed has enjoyed a 46% uptick in followers.

The corporate Twitter account @NisaRetail, which is aimed at retailers suppliers and others in the sector, has enjoyed 40% growth in followers over the same period – and a 4,236% increase in engagement.

The group said online interactive games to celebrate Nisa turning 40, and competitions had most recently boosted the Nisa Locally accounts.

It said engaging with other businesses and individuals together with marketing key events and sharing posts from sector influencers had helped to deliver social media success.

Gemma Campbell, PR and communications manager at Nisa Retail, said digital engagement was hugely important and a great tool to reach out to and engage with an array of audiences.

“With support from our Harrogate-based digital agency Extreme Creations, we have seen some real growth on all our channels, demonstrating the way the world is continuing to move towards a digital first approach and it is vital that as a business, we carry on developing our online and digital presence as we look to the future.”