St George’s Market traders sign up to ‘Voice for Locals’ to level up their business and trade online

Linda Stewart — Tue, 10 May 2022 10:26:43 +0000

More than 70 traders from St George’s Market have signed up to the Voice For Locals initiative to level up their businesses.

The initiative offers digital tools, marketing techniques and customer experience training for small firms, and it is set to digitise NI marketplaces and high streets.

Voice for Locals, which received a £1.82m grant from the UK Government to bolster small businesses’ potential, has digitised more than 200 local businesses across Northern Ireland in less than 30 days.

The initiative launched its latest drive ‘Times Are Changing’ at St George’s Market last week to help traders, who typically rely on in-person footfall, to extend their services online and tap into the world of e-commerce.

The traders can now expand sales, trading online every day of the week, and can take their business to a digital platform.

The initiative allows engagement with a broader audience, on a more consistent basis, beyond the confines of St George’s Market official trading days, thanks to the Voice for Locals digital directory of all rated businesses across Northern Ireland, ni.voiceforlocals.co.uk.

The momentous event saw traders at the iconic venue use a mobile app to collect ratings, reviews, manage bookings and drive loyalty effortlessly. The traders, who typically trade on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, were seen proudly sharing the news of their online presence with their customers.

Platform

The platform allows traders to go digital with mobile apps, get marketed locally, get certified with e-learning courses endorsed by City and Guilds, and avail of personalised business and technology advice, to build a self-reliant economy in the wake of the pandemic.

The initiative, delivered by a consortium of organisations including Unloc Limited, TieTa and City & Guilds, has plans to extend this drive to other marketplaces and high streets.

Jay Thattai, Founder and Steering Authority at Voice for Locals, said the campaign would help businesses “recover, rebuild and rebound.”

He said: “It was gratifying to see 71 traders signing up for online business in a single day. 55% of traders onboarded are women entrepreneurs with basic digital skills. Every trader will have their own landing page with their business description, pictures and videos featured in the Voice for Locals NI directory. They are also given tools to collect genuine customer ratings and reviews in the market which will reflect online automatically, to boost their credibility for online shoppers to shop locally with confidence.

“Every trader’s landing page also has an enquiry button to generate leads for the traders during the non-trading days. The leads automatically go to their personalised mobile apps.

“The iconic St George’s Market has an international appeal and attracts tourists from all over the globe. With the expanded digital presence, traders can now tap into rest of the UK, Europe and world markets that would have otherwise been unattainable, via the initiative’s extension plans.”

Reaching the customer

One trader who availed of the initiative is Cathy McLaverty from Randalstown. Cathy is Chair of St George’s Market Traders Association and sells a range of women’s accessories. Her business is Cathy McLaverty Accessories.

She said: “All we have is a few hours in a day to make something, market and sell it. We have always looked forward to Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at St George’s market to sell our products. We do not have the team, the skillset, or the time to digitise and market our business. Until this point, we did not have an opportunity to own the database of customers that shopped from us.

“Most importantly, we could not reach out to them when we introduced new designs. We did not know if we had a happy customer and if that individual would recommend us on social media and refer us to friends and families. With Voice for Locals, we have this information at our fingertips. We have the tools to personalise rewards and promotions and ensure we are continuously engaging with our customers, and we truly feel empowered.

“The NI directory will also help generate leads for the traders from Monday to Thursday, when the market is closed. We are looking forward to pinpointing new business opportunities.”

The consortium’s tender win for the project makes it the recipient of the fifth largest grant in the UK and the largest in Northern Ireland. Unloc will provide the technology, marketing and skills development element of the offering while TieTa will offer business and technical support. The team is working closely with City & Guilds to gain recognition for e-learning programmes delivered to local businesses throughout the scheme’s duration.

This project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Community Renewal Fund.

For further information about the Voice for Locals Initiative, log on to voiceforlocals.co.uk

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Traders in Larne raise concerns over pedestrianisation plans

Linda Stewart — Tue, 23 Nov 2021 13:35:10 +0000

Public realm proposals for Larne town centre have sparked concerns among traders over access for customers and deliveries.

The issue of access was highlighted in the minutes of a recent report to Mid and East Antrim councillors that had been discussed behind closed doors at a meeting of the Borough Growth Committee, the Belfast News Letter reported.

Councillors have asked officers to re-engage with traders in an attempt to find a solution in a bid to utilise Stormont funding and allow the public realm scheme at Dunluce Street to proceed.

Pedestrianisation would mean the removal of six car parking spaces. It is understood that Dunluce Street had been pedestrianised previously but this had been revoked in 2010.

Several councillors have expressed concern that the street is in a “state of dereliction and very much in need of upgrade to realise its potential”. The report notes that Dunluce Street is also a residential street.

However, no formal objections were received by the local authority during a public consultation at the end of August.

Council minutes have indicated that the street may be opened to allow for delivery vehicles between 8am and 6pm and the installation of bollards could be an option.

It is also proposed to extend the public footpath at Bridge Street, connecting onto Dunluce Street, by removing a further two on-street parking bays.

The council has indicated that the proposed works will be phased, with improvements planned for Dunluce Street first with pedestrianisation at Lower Cross Street in a second phase subject to funding. Access for business deliveries is also expected to be maintained.

Ten per cent of the cost of the improvement works would be paid by the borough council.

Public realm

A previous £2.2m public realm improvement works featuring granite pavements, lighting and seating in other parts of the town centre streets in 2015 did not extend to Dunluce Street and Lower Cross Street.

Commenting on proposals, Larne Lough Councillor Gregg McKeen, Chair of the Borough Growth Committee, said: “I am pleased to see there is the opportunity to do this other works in the town centre. Businesses have been very keen and positive and want to go ahead but some have reservations and concerns.”

He added that council has the opportunity to work to get a solution that suits traders and businesses in the area.

Mid and East Antrim Mayor Councillor William McCaughey said previously: “The existing two car parking spaces on Bridge Street are not regularly used as there is sufficient parking along Point Street that runs parallel to Dunluce Street.

“In addition, with a proposed new hotel development planned for this area in the near future, council believes that this is an opportune time to focus on upgrading Dunluce Street and Lower Cross Street to support the overall regeneration of Larne town centre.

“It is hoped that the regeneration works will act as a catalyst for further private and public sector investment in the area.”

Caption: The proposed public realm works in Larne

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St George’s Market traders sign up to ‘Voice for Locals’ to level up their business and trade online

Traders in Larne raise concerns over pedestrianisation plans