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Ilkley Town AFC backs local businesses with ‘Shop Local Today’ initiative


Ilkley Town AFC have a long tradition of supporting and working with local businesses. Currently, the club have some great sponsors who directly work with them to mutually grow and make more people aware of the fabulous businesses Ilkley has on offer.


Paul Wintersgill, Commercial Director at Ilkley Town AFC, introduced the inspiration for a new initiative to further support the community: “We know how important the local community and local businesses are, we wouldn’t have a club without them.”


“During the Covid-19 lockdown, we have been doing what we can to make our community aware of the local businesses that are still open, providing regular shoutouts through our social media and email channels so that our members and supporters know these shops are open and the help they can provide.”


“We now want to do more: we want to make everyone in Ilkley aware of the great stores we have, of the great businesses the owners have built and the fantastic products and services they offer. We want everyone in Ilkley to get behind the local independent and ‘shop local’ today, tomorrow, and the day after.”


“We realise that when we are allowed back to some sort of normality, everything we took for granted will have changed, to what extent we are yet to find out. In order to get the local economy going again, local businesses are going to need as much support as they can get. We are pleased to announce the launch of a new initiative by the club, to not only support local businesses, but to help them prosper and build a sustainable platform to thrive.”


‘Shop Local Today’ is an initiative to help businesses acquire and retain customers without wasting money on advertising that does not work. They don’t have to worry about being creative, as the team will provide proven, tested, measurable marketing campaigns, all focused on high yield returns. The initiative will even provide a fully functional e-commerce site to provide an extra source of income if a businesses doesn’t have one.


Paul explained, “If a business can’t measure their marketing and get a ROI, it probably doesn’t work. So why waste time and money on consultants, or strategies that they don’t need. What they need is 25 years of retail experience, both offline and online, a solid and sustainable strategy and proven tactics that work consistently - all of which we will provide.” 


“Most businesses owners have very little time to market themselves, they have a basic understanding of social media and generally do not have the time and expertise to maximise the channels available to drive awareness and people to their store. We’ve considered this initiative with these people in mind, and created a solution that will work for them, and in turn for our whole community.”


‘Shop Local Today’ provides local businesses with an opportunity to come out of Covid-19 with a plan: a plan which will help drive footfall to their stores in the short term, but also provide a long term plan to build growth and sustainability. A plan that future proofs their business. Discover what ‘Shop Local Today’ can do for you with a no-obligation chat with Paul. Call him on 07713 656468, or email paulwin77@gmail.com

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