Shoppers across Southend are being urged to visit their local stores to help support the borough’s retail and business sector after the blow of Covid-19.

To encourage residents to get behind them, Southend Council have launched the Shop Local, Shop Southend campaign, with the hopes of highlighting and promoting the whole wealth of excellent businesses shopping districts across the town have to offer.

And as part of Shop Local, Shop Southend, the council:

  •  plan to run Southend’s Best Festive Business Competition from November to Christmas, in a bid to generate festival spirit and much needed custom for local retail businesses and all
  • have produced a set of Shop Local, Shop Southend digital tools- this includes a short video showcasing the shopping offers across the borough, posters referencing key shopping areas and digital toolkits for social media (All posters are available digitally and can be downloaded for display by businesses)
  • plan to incorporate national Small Business Saturday UK (5 December 2020) in the campaign, to promote Southend’s independent businesses to a wide audience

Shop Local Shop Southend will run through to Christmas, with the potential of possibly being extended into the spring of 2021. 

It comes after the council’s cabinet agreed earlier this month to extend the buy one-hour, get one-hour free parking scheme for short stay customers until March 31 2021.

The offer was launched in a bid to entice residents and visitors to continue shopping locally and support the recovery from Covid-19.

Customers buying a one-hour parking ticket will get their second hour free in all council-owned car parks- the offer however only applies to the one-hour parking band, or the two-hour parking band in the Fairheads Green and Gasworks car parks (buy two hours and get one hour free).

Councillor Kevin Robinson, cabinet member for business, culture and tourism said: “We have a fantastic array of local, independent shops here in Southend that complement our national chain stores.

"As we continue with our recovery from Covid-19, it is important that we support our local businesses.

"The campaign is also to support and promote all businesses in Southend, Westcliff, Leigh, Southchurch Village and Thorpe Bay – pubs and eateries, salons and barbers, tradespeople and everything in-between.

“I’m encouraging businesses to use the campaign to actively promote themselves and urge customers to support our businesses by sharing their great local shopping experiences using hashtags #shoplocal #shopsouthend.”