Many local high streets have tried a variety of schemes to try and bring life back to their city centre. The Government has spent both time and money investing resources to try and entice people away from their computers and tablet devices, but many are to no avail.
But now a district in Stoke-on-Trent has launched a scheme designed to get people to spend on the high street rather than in chain stores or on their computer. Burslem, located about two miles outside of the main city centre, is trying to encourage people to spend just £5 per week of their usual weekly shop on the high street.
So how beneficial is the scheme? According to Professor Jon Fairburn, from the Business School at Staffordshire University, the scheme could bring around £6 million to the local economy.
Professor Fairburn said: “The theory is if every adult living within one mile of Burslem town centre spends £5 with their local independent shops and businesses, it would be worth an extra £6m a year to the local economy.”
But how easy is it to get the scheme off the ground and get people out of their comfort zone and spend on the high street? Marc Briand, the scheme’s leader, says the public’s reaction has been great so far.
He said: “Switching £5 of your shopping budget is as simple as buying a sandwich from the local cafe at lunch or buying your weekly fruit and veg.
“The initial idea of making sure people spend that fiver has started to tail away but we’ve built on that to market the town in the right way and people keep coming back.”
Do you think the scheme will work? Would you want to travel to the high street if you are already in the supermarket and can pick up everything you need in one place?
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