Did you know that 99% of businesses in the UK’s private sector are small businesses? Yet sadly, four in ten don’t last for more than five years.
Supporting local businesses can do a lot of good. So before you head down to your nearest supermarket or chained fashion store to make your next purchase, stop and think for a second. These are four reasons why it’s better to shop local.
More Expertise
Small specialist shops will be experts in their field. They have to be: specialising in a particular area, they’ll need to know the ins-and-outs of what they’re selling. If they don’t, then they won’t be able to compete with bigger brands.
Take the fruit and veg industry. You’ll no doubt have several supermarkets all within a couple of miles of where you live, but they’ll sell a whole load of other things too – food, drink, homeware, stationery… even clothes. When they have that many products to sell, they won’t have the in-depth knowledge of one particular area like smaller companies will.
In contrast, small companies will have built their business based on the knowledge that they have about their products and customers. We’ve been trading for over 132 years, starting out as a humble stall in Nottingham’s Old Market Square way back in 1885. Over time, we’ve built up a whole load of knowledge when it comes to getting your greens, and what’s best to buy.
If you want to buy from a company that knows everything about what they’re selling and what you want (even if you don’t yet know it yourself!), then it’s time to shun the big brands and shop local.
High Quality
Let’s be realistic: for small, local businesses to compete successfully with national – or even international – brands, they need to have something that sets them apart.
One of these things is quality. Fruit and veg sold in a supermarket may well have been sourced from abroad, meaning they’ll have had a long transit time.
In contrast, local companies will usually purchase their produce from local suppliers. Because of this, transportation time will be a lot less, resulting in fresher food that’s better quality.
Think about it: if you’re stood in a supermarket eyeing up the strawberries in winter, you know they’ll have come from overseas. Head to a smaller supplier and whilst you may not be able to buy strawberries in December, instead you could opt for a fruit that’s in season, and therefore much fresher.
Great Customer service
Have you ever tried to speak to a customer support team at a large company before? So far removed from the shop floor, it’s likely they’re inaccessible and may not be able to help you in the way that you require.
Shop locally however, and you’ll likely receive a much higher standard of customer service. Talking face-to-face with the customer means that any issues can be sorted straight away.
Because of their size, small businesses are likely to be more flexible too. Think that we should include some extra fennel in our veg connoisseur box? Let us know! Whilst we may not be able to fix every single suggestion, we’ll certainly do our best as ultimately, we want our customers to be happy!
Local businesses rely on local people. Losing a customer will be a lot more devastating for them than it will be for a large chain.
Investing in the local economy
Research has shown that for every £1 spent with a small-to-medium sized business, 63p was re-spent in the local area, compared to 40p in every £1 spent at larger businesses.
The fact is that local businesses will often work with local producers, which in turn is what makes the products on offer such good quality.
At Kerry’s, we source all of our fruit and veg locally, and we team up with other local businesses to provide you with lots of tasty food like meat, cheese and jam.
Not only that, but local businesses are a good source of creating jobs in your area, and helping to reduce the rate of unemployment can only be a good thing!
Doesn’t it make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside knowing that you’re helping your community when you’re shopping locally? Let’s face it, you just won’t get that by shopping at a huge corporation.
Are you ready to shop locally and enjoy the benefits? Take a look at the fresh produce we offer in Nottingham here.