A New Year update from Indie Durham City’s Graham Soult
You may well have seen me writing about the Indie Durham City project in The Northern Echo earlier this week, so it seems like an opportune moment to just share a reminder about the completely FREE marketing and mentoring support that is available via the project, and which my business – retail consultancy CannyInsights.com – delivers.
As place managers, we can sometimes do better at communicating what's happening on the high street – especially behind the scenes.
Thank you to @apwecho for giving me the chance to talk about #Durham and @IndieDurhamCity in the @TheNorthernEcho today 👇https://t.co/wMIHfwTPS2
— Graham Soult FIPM (@soult) January 3, 2022
Basically, Indie Durham City is funded by City of Durham Parish Council, and is a campaign to support and promote independent shops, cafes, restaurants and other businesses in the Parish Council area – including Durham city centre – as they navigate Covid.
Any business can access free one-to-one support from me, focused primarily on helping them build an effective online presence to market their services, but covering other areas of business support where needed.
Many new and established retailers have already taken advantage of this since May 2020, while many more have been showcased via the @IndieDurhamCity social media channels on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
I’ve also given advice and support to businesses like Elvet & Bailey and Mr Bojangles before they even opened their doors, and recently advised another new shop that was looking for premises in the city and – fingers crossed! – will be opening later this year.
So, if your business is based in – or looking to be based in – City of Durham Parish, whether that’s a shop, an indoor or outdoor Durham Markets trader, or even a retail business operating from a home address in the parish, it’s worth getting in touch!
All the info any business might need is on this website, including details of the support available, FAQs, and a simple form for registering interest.
Needless to say, I work closely with other key people in the city centre – including, for example, Durham BID, Durham Markets, Prince Bishops Place and Durham County Council – and I think we are all positive about the great independent businesses that we already have, and are keen to attract and support more to join the 30+ new shops and venues, most of them indies, that have opened their doors in the city centre even during the pandemic.
So, if you’re a Durham city indie, do get involved: register your interest here, tag and engage with @IndieDurhamCity on social media, and take advantage of the opportunities to claim your listing on the Roam Local app and enjoy three months’ free membership of Durham Business Club.
Running any business is tough, especially now – but I’m proud that Indie Durham City is on hand to provide at least some support, inspiration and encouragement. The North East is awash with brilliant and creative people and businesses, so anything we can do to help them be even more successful has got to be a positive thing.
