Eight in ten shoppers vow to spend locally after lockdown

Eight in ten shoppers plan to spend more in local stores after lockdown, research for Santander Bank has found.

In a boost for The Mail on Sunday’s drive to help small firms recover from the crisis, shoppers said they were willing to spend an extra £30 a month in local stores rather than big chains.

That would give an extra £1.6billion a month to small firms, the study found.

Shoppers said they were willing to spend an extra £30 a month in local stores rather than big chains

During lockdown, two in five adults spent nearly £10 a week more than usual in local businesses, the poll of 2,000 people found.

That was partly due to convenience and also because essential items were harder to find in supermarkets.

The findings will boost a sector that does not have the cash reserves of big chains.

To help, The Mail on Sunday’s parent company, Daily Mail and General Trust, offered small firms £5 million in free advertising in The Mail on Sunday, Daily Mail and Metro newspapers.

Some 1,500 firms received a tailored ad package worth £3,000 to boost sales.

Susan Davies, head of business banking at Santander, said: ‘Extra spending will help get the economy moving which is what is needed.’