Small Business Saturday: Campaign launched to boost Shrewsbury's indies
A new campaign encouraging people to support Shrewsbury's economy has been launched to coincide with Small Business Saturday today.
The town-wide initiative is being run by Shrewsbury Business Improvement District (BID) and is asking people to choose local companies and "reconsider the online shopping autopilot".
The campaign, which will continue throughout Christmas and into early 2026, is aiming to challenge the habit of defaulting to online retailers and instead shines a spotlight on the value, care and community that comes from shopping on the high street.
The BID said Shrewsbury's independent businesses were one of the town's greatest strengths, prompting it to win awards such as Britain's Best High Street and Most Perfect Market Town, both from the Daily Telegraph, while the Guardian named it one of the happiest places to live.
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The first wave of designs, to be displayed from today and throughout the festive period features three short, striking messages: ‘Buy from people, not platforms', ‘You work hard for your money - spend it with someone who cares' and ‘Add to basket (but in real life)'.
The messages will be displayed on posters and vinyls around the town centre, in designs with a retro festive feel inspired by the 1950s and '60s, a time long before online shopping was a thing.
