Retailers encouraged by thousands of Bahamians shopping locally

With just one shopping day left until Christmas, retailers said they are encouraged by the thousands of Bahamians who have chosen to shop locally to support the Bahamian economy.

The ShopLocal initiative was launched last month ahead of the Black Friday shopping period to encourage Bahamians to support local businesses. It was introduced as many businesses feared closure after not being able to operate for months during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.

Co-President of the Bahamas Federation of Retailers and ShopLocal Director Tara Morley said although businesses have seen a positive flow of local patrons and increased foot traffic, it’s still not enough to make up for the months of damage caused by the lockdowns.

“We are really encouraged by the enthusiastic response local consumers have had to the ShopLocal campaign. We have certainly seen an uptick in sales since the launch of the campaign. While one single month cannot make up for the unprecedented challenging year Bahamian businesses have had, it certainly helps to position many organizations on a more positive trajectory going into 2021,” she told Guardian Business.

“Many shoppers have mentioned that they were not aware of all of the products they can find here at home, so we have seen that the educational aspect of the campaign has helped highlight the wide range of products consumers can find locally.

“We hope that this sentiment of supporting local businesses continues well beyond this holiday season. We need to support each other for the long term to sustain and strengthen our economy.”

Because of frequent lockdowns, many Bahamians had gotten into the habit of online shopping at US retailers and shipping in their goods through local courier companies.

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source https://thenassauguardian.com/retailers-encouraged-by-thousands-of-bahamians-shopping-locally/