10 Top Reasons to Support Locally Owned Businesses

Topics such as climate change, Brexit, the global pandemic and even war now offer real challenges to businesses and heighten the need for us to reconsider our buying choices. One choice you can make that will provide measurable value is buying from a local company. See more of the real reasons why supporting your local businesses is so important. Let’s get started…

1. Boost your local economy – By spending your money with a local business, you boost the local economy, invest in your immediate surroundings, which then creates local jobs and local wealth. Committing to employing local people in your business can be very rewarding.

2. Protect your local environment – Choosing to purchase from a local company means fewer miles travelling, less fuel consumption and in turn, less carbon emitted. This all adds to a healthier environment for our staff, family and friends. At Aston & James, we are committed to sustainability and actively promote our order consolidation service to reduce the impact on the environment.

3. Build a sense of local community – Local businesses including Aston & James support local events, charities, clubs and school events. This helps to cement trust and awareness within the local community. If local businesses are thriving, support for community initiatives continues. We are a business that cares and continue to donate to several local initiatives that are close to our hearts.

4. Support your neighbour – By choosing to buy local, you help support other local people to pay bills and feed their families. Instead of opting for a large, distant corporation, why not support your neighbour and spend with your local retailer, hairdresser or stationer. 

5. Personality & character – Local businesses like Aston and James are owned and run by local people rather than a large faceless corporation or algorithm. We have an excellent customer service record. We’re always on the end of a phone to chat to and our team consistently work hard to exceed expectations. 

6. Networking – Local businesses are excellent at creating a support network and building relationships with other local businesses and individuals. This helps to create partnerships with mutual benefits and support. We attend many local networking events and continue to nurture excellent relationships with other businesses in the Oxfordshire region.

7. Quality – Local businesses are more likely to offer quality goods and services to their local customers as they respect and value their loyalty and custom. Some large corporations that operate solely online may sell inferior products which can lead to complaints, and no local business needs that!

8. Wider choice – The real choice of products comes from dozens of independent businesses tailoring their goods and services to their unique community needs.

9. Local taxes – You can rest assured that your local independent business will be paying its fair share of corporation tax, rent, council tax, income tax, and national insurance contributions towards the wealth of the entire nation. 

10. Feel good factor – When faced with a multitude of online businesses with claims of the cheapest prices, next day delivery and global goods, you may be tempted to choose these over your friendly local supplier. But before you do this, why not take the time to reconsider and stick local? Remind yourself that you are supporting a local business to survive for all the amazing reasons we’ve mentioned above.

Shop smart this March by sticking local  – Everything for the workplace