Ilkley BID have launched two new trails on the LoyalFree town centre app and Westbrook Agency has set up the #Ilkleyisopen campaign.
The second national lockdown has come at a time when many retailers were getting ready for the busy Christmas period. Ilkley BID are urging people to support the local businesses and not to forget the Ilkley shops and hospitality venues during this difficult time. The first lockdown saw businesses changing their business models and making their premises Covid secure meaning that many of the local independent outlets can keep operating with telephone orders and online via their website or social media channels.
Helen Rhodes, BID Manager said: “The businesses in Ilkley provide an enormous range of goods and services to the town, it really is quite tremendous that so much is available right on our doorstep. The shops and hospitality businesses play such a big part in the community and we urge residents to spend locally in the lead up to Christmas.
Many of the retailers in the town are still operating their businesses with options to click and collect as well as some being able to provide a local delivery service. To enable people to easily see who is open we have set up two new trails on the already established LoyalFree town centre app which was launched in August. Please support our local Ilkley businesses and download the app if you haven’t already. Any BID members who are open and haven’t got a listing should get in touch and we’ll sort this out for them.”
At your fingertips, the app showcases the Ilkley retailers that are open online and the restaurants offering a takeaway and delivery service. The app is totally free to download from www.getloyalfree.com. It allows users to easily scroll through the business profiles to find out about the local offerings available at the touch of a button.
For businesses without an online presence, LoyalFree also allows them to list products and services with only a small transaction fee to pay for any sales achieved.
Ilkley BID is also busy building a new website as part of the Discover Ilkley campaign which will include business listings for all BID members as well as promoting events, activities and the culture and heritage of Ilkley.
For those who don’t use smartphones BID member Westbrook Agency has set up the #Ilkleyisopen campaign which is similar to the “Ilkley To You’ campaign operated by Ilkley BID during the first lockdown. This new website lists local businesses that are still operating or want to promote themselves during the lockdown period and can be found at www.ilkleyisopen.co.uk