Launch of “Lovin’ it Local” shopping campaign

Tawnia Parsey and Rachel Bates (Oldham Sixth Form College staff) shopping in their lunch hour.

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TONIGHT the Chronicle launches a major pre-Christmas advertising campaign with a rallying call to shoppers to use local retailers.
Our “Lovin’ It Local” advertising message will see a series of features on the town-centre businesses that are having such a tough time at the moment with the double whammy of economic squeeze and the ongoing Metrolink roadworks.

Many locals have been deeply critical of the roadworks that have plagued the town centre for months and will be with us for some time until Metrolink is established.

But we need shoppers to be able to rise above such local difficulties and stand up to be counted and get those tills ringing in the town centre’s hour of need.

It is abundantly clear that town-centre retailers need to have a good Christmas to boost their trading figures and, in the main part, that will come from Oldhamers shopping local rather than relying on visitors from further afield.

And we all want Oldham to be a thriving town centre. It is in nobody’s interest to see more and more of our retailers having to shut up shop.

Many of the Oldham town-centre businesses are independent retailers who have been supporting the borough for years and without our patronage they are going to hit the buffers along with the jobs that they represent.

And it it no good saying that you will go elsewhere until all the roadworks are completed. Your town centre needs you NOW!

The Chronicle has teamed up with the Town Centre Partnership to offer local retailers discounted advertising over the next six weeks in special features to promote the town centre.

From tomorrow, we shall be shining the “Lovin it Local” spotlight on the town centre in six areas:

Spindles/ Town Square Shopping Centre (tomorrow and December 15).

Yorkshire Street/Union Street (Friday and November 28)

High Street (November 23 and December 8)

George Street/Union Street (November 18 and December 5)

Oldham Markets (November 25 and December 12)

Night-time entertainment (November 16 and December 1)

In each of 12 twice-a-week features we will be reporting on some of the businesses new and old within the areas concerned and we are urging you to support these shops to buy as many of your Christmas goods as possible in a bid to boost the local economy.

Yes you could go to Manchester or other local towns and cities. Yes you could go to the Trafford Centre — but our town centre needs you now like never before.

The town centre has taken a few big hits over the last year with the loss of the likes of TJ Hughes and JJB Sports but the best chance we have of attracting replacement stores is if our chain stores and independent traders offer a diverse mix of goods and services.

The council has played its part by introducing free parking and a series of town-centre events and attractions including the reindeer parade (Saturday) and lights switch-on (November 20) as well as the Mrs Claus village (December 3-18).

We shall also be announcing more ways in which you can benefit from doing your shopping in Oldham in the coming weeks.

And we have not forgotten the businesses in the district centres. We will also be offering them the chance to promote their wares in the same way in the weeks before Christmas.