Reba launches Independent's Month

On Wednesday Reba baked cupcakes, held a promotional sale and ran a "chocolate ball prize draw"  to win vouchers for the store - A £10 voucher was won by Chelsea and a £20 prize draw was won by Claire,

Rachel Parkin, owner of Reba said "there's no doubt about it, life is tough on the high street and obviously the recent poor weather hasn't helped, but we had a fabulous day and we were thrilled with the support we received from the local community.  We've been here for 17 years now, and we offer a unique shopping environment and experience to our customers who appreciate the mix of products and great service"

Independent's Day on the 4th July was the launch date for the month long campaign to support your independent stores.  The mix of stores on our high streets has been in the news recently following the Mary Portas review commissioned by David Cameron last year.

In the Review Portas highlights the main reasons as to why there is a trend of decline in high street shopping; this is due to the rise in out of town (free parking -major pull factor) and internet shopping coupled with the increasing range of products/services offered by supermarkets and shopping malls, also not forgetting that falling consumer spending has played a major part too.

She adds that the need to renew the high street and the town centre’s social aspect as well as economic spaces is paramount to her vision. So Review is important not only in its emphasis on the critical role of the high street as provider of retail and services outlets but also the ‘social cohesion’ that it brings to town centres as a central point where people can meet and local groups can communicate and engage with shoppers – encouraging community involvement and interaction.

Independent businesses are vital to our local economies. They ensure the unique character of an area, are more accountable to customers and the local community, more likely to support local charities and have greater direct control over the environmental impact of their businesses.

Money spent at locally owned independent businesses goes around longer in the local economy. It yields two to four times the economic benefit to the local residents compared with non-local businesses. This means more local income, wealth, and jobs.

Supporting independent businesses creates local jobs, preserves economic diversity and safeguards the environment and we at Reba believe that that's a good thing, so please join us, and show your support for independent businesses like ours across the city and surrounding areas.