Shoppers in Shrewsbury are shunning traditional high street shops and snapping up Fair Trade products, with a 10 per cent leap in sales in the past year, it has been claimed.

The town is bidding to get Fair Trade town status, following in the footsteps of Bridgnorth. Ken Pattison, who works in the town’s Fair Trade store in St John’s Hill, said the store is defying the credit crunch, with sales in the shop up 5.9 per cent year-on-year.

Stalls on markets in the town have also recorded a 10 per cent increase.

Isobel Ankers, a director of the shop, said: “We are delighted that Fair Trade products are becoming more readily available in supermarkets and mainstream outlets, where most people shop.

“Much as we might love the notion of people doing their weekly shop with us, basically it isn’t going to happen for most people, so the goods have to be where the shoppers are.

“The Shrewsbury Fair Trade shop has joined with thousands of supporters throughout the UK in celebrating Fairtrade Fortnight and this year, has its own reasons for extra celebrations, as it has bucked the retail trend by enjoying a year on year increase in its figures from 2008 to 2009.

“Shrewsbury Fair Trade has been offering the Fair Trade alternative from its premises at St John’s Hill since 1996, and has enjoyed success, with year on year increases for most of those years.”

She added: “In more recent times, there had been a slight decline, as more and more Fair Trade goods became available in other outlets – a fact totally supported by Shrewsbury Fair Trade.

“In 2009, however, there was an overall 5.9 per cent increase in sales through the shop and an excellent 10 per cent increase in sales through stalls.

“As the stalls are where the greatest increase has taken place, it suggests that the demand for Fairtrade products continues to grow, which is great news for the producers who benefit from fair prices for their goods.”