Adam Hart-Davis joins FSB’s Keep Trade Local campaign

The Federation of Small Businesses’ Keep Trade Local campaign today received the backing of the scientist, social historian and broadcaster Adam Hart-Davis.

The Keep Trade Local campaign aims to raise awareness of the need to safeguard the future of small independent shops and the communities they sustain.

The FSB is offering support to local campaigns across the country to protect high streets from draconian parking and planning policies that discriminate in favour of large, out-of-town supermarkets. The UK’s biggest business organisation is also working with national politicians on the Keep Trade Local campaign and has set up a petition on the Number 10 website.

John Wright, FSB National Chairman, said:

“We’re very pleased that Adam Hart-Davis recognises the importance of small independent shops for the future of local economies and we hope his backing for our Keep Trade Local campaign will convince others as well.

“Over half of business turnover from small retailers is returned to the local community. The same cannot be said of the supermarkets and the large retail multiples.

“The average person now travels 893 miles a year to shop for food. Our message is that shopping in local independent shops is good for the community, good for the environment and good for you.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

1. The FSB has set up a Keep Trade Local Petition on the Number 10 website, which is available at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/keeptradelocal/

2. Over 400 MEPs signed a European Parliament declaration on curbing the abuse of power by supermarkets in the European Union. The declaration is available at http://www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/plenary/writtenDecl/wdFastAdopted.do?language=EN.

3. The FSB is Britain’s biggest business organisation with over 210,000 members. It exists to protect and promote the interests of the self-employed, and all those who run their own business. More information is available at www.fsb.org.uk.

Contacts:

Stephen Alambritis: 020 7592 8112 / 07788 422155
Simon Briault: 020 7592 8128 / 07917 628998

For regional FSB contacts please go to www.fsb.org.uk/regions