Shrewsbury businesses urged to sign up for scheme to keep income coming in

A scheme to keep Shrewsbury's businesses going during the coronavirus lockdown will be opening soon, with firms being urged to make sure they get involved.

With Shrewsbury's streets empty and many businesses forced to close their doors the marketplace could provide vital income until lockdown is over

Shrewsbury’s new virtual marketplace, 'Support Shrewsbury', is a website where people can buy vouchers for shops and businesses and redeem them after the lockdown – helping them gain income while government restrictions are in place.

Nearly 100 businesses have so far registered to be included – and organisers are calling for more to join the scheme by going to supportshrewsbury.co.uk

The project has been developed by Shrewsbury BID, supported by My Shrewsbury magazine, and will create a hub for local commerce online, inviting the public to get behind the town's shops, cafes and restaurants and other local businesses, by buying vouchers which can be redeemed after the lockdown.

Support Shrewsbury will also create a virtual business community for local business owners to share ideas and relevant information and to help each other throughout the crisis and beyond.

More Covid-19 coverage:

Seb Slater, executive director of Shrewsbury BID, said: “We have been really pleased with the initial response, with nearly 100 businesses and over 150 members of the public registering their interest within days of registration being open.

“It’s free of charge for businesses to add themselves to the site, and we are encouraging every trader in Shrewsbury to get involved.

“Once the website is open to the public, payments for gift vouchers and products sold through the website will go directly to the businesses using the secure Stripe payment system.”

Shrewsbury BID has worked with local web design company, The Web Orchard, to get the website up and running in a matter of weeks.

Pete White, of The Web Orchard, said: “We’ve been thrilled to be involved in some of the more technical aspects of the project around payments and voucher delivery. It’s a difficult time for all businesses in the town and any impact we can have in supporting them is a priority for us.”