Local Enterprise Office Fingal has announced an exciting new "Shop Fingal" initiative to promote local businesses in the run-up to Christmas.
Using print, radio, and digital media, LEO Fingal will help businesses increase their visibility while showing that they are open and available for trade.
The Shop Fingal promotion also aims to raise awareness amongst both consumers and businesses about the importance of shopping locally and the ecosystem that exists when people support businesses in their area.
When we support one business, we support many more behind the scenes, such as suppliers, service providers, and manufacturers.
In essence, by shopping locally, we maintain jobs, preserve Irish industries, and sustain service to the local community.
Emphasizing the importance of supporting the Shop Fingal initiative, Mayor of Fingal Cllr David Healy said: "LEO Fingal and Fingal County Council has played an instrumental role in supporting and assisting businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic. Shopping locally this Christmas will make the difference for so many businesses across Fingal who have endured such a difficult time, and I would encourage every citizen of Fingal to get behind this initiative and spend locally this year - it has never been as important."
The Shop Fingal initiative is good news for all of us due to what is known as, in economic terms, the "multiplier effect." According to research in Ireland, every €1 spent locally is worth €4 to the local economy, so there are immense benefits to keeping it local.
Chief Executive of Fingal County Council AnnMarie Farrelly said, "The Shop Fingal initiative is a fantastic way to help people make their buying decisions while encouraging Fingal's residents to keep it local this Christmas. Fingal County Council has been at the forefront of supporting our local businesses during the Covid-19 period, and I would encourage people to play their part in supporting local businesses. With so many businesses having to adapt to the ever-changing landscape that 2020 brings, we are delighted to play a part in promoting the tremendous variety of quality services and products available right on our doorstep."
As part of the promotion, LEO Fingal has teamed up with some key partners to ensure that businesses receive the best quality promotion during the year's busiest and most competitive shopping season.
Fingal Independent will carry advertisements for up to 120 businesses as part of the "Essential Guide to Christmas Shopping in Fingal" supplement running across four weeks.
Dublin Gazette and Northside People will also carry promotions encouraging people to buy local this Christmas.
Radio advertisements will run across several of Dublin's favorite radio stations, including FM104, 98FM, Spin 1038, Q102, Sunshine 1068, Nova, and our local community stations Phoenix FM and Near FM.
The sentiment to shop locally has become somewhat a national phenomenon as recent data from Google showed that the search term "Shop Local Ireland" saw a whopping 540% increase on the search engine during the first weeks of current restrictions.
Speaking about the reasons why LEO Fingal decided to launch the Shop Fingal initiative, Chair of the LEO Network and Head of Enterprise at Fingal, Oisín Geoghegan, explained;
"At LEO Fingal this year, we have placed a significant emphasis on helping small businesses stay front of mind with their existing customers while highlighting ways they can attract new ones. Schemes such as the Trading Online Voucher and the many ongoing training programmes available have helped achieve this. That said, we are conscious that consumers are actively looking for ways to support their local community while looking for easy and convenient ways to shop for their day to day needs and obviously for Christmas. This initiative helps both shoppers and business owners while actively promoting a sense of being in it together."
He further added, "The three-pronged approach of this promotion, spanning the main channels of print, media and digital, represents the various ways people now make their buying decisions. It is now more critical than ever that Fingal's businesses are aware and gain experience of the multiple mediums available to them to create a competitive advantage."
Local business owner James Stewart from Celtic Candles in Baldoyle who is taking part in the initiative said:
“While it has been a tough year for us at Celtic Candles, we have taken heart from the support of the local community online and also in store and the goodwill that exists during these challenging times. At the moment, we are focusing on riding out the storm, so every customer and every purchase will make a difference in helping us through this period. I would urge everyone to please shop local and shop Irish this year and let’s all Champion Green.”
For a comprehensive list of the latest information and supports available to Fingal businesses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, sign up to the “Fingal Enterprise News” ezine on the LEO Fingal Homepage to receive updates straight to your inbox.