COMMENT - Loyalty card is well worth your support (From Cotswold Journal)

COMMENT - Loyalty card is well worth your support

8:44am Thursday 9th August 2012 in Letters

THESE are tough times for high street traders in market towns such as Evesham, Pershore, Chipping Campden and Stow.

The recession is hard for everyone, but the shopkeepers who are so important to our communities are facing especially challenging business conditions.

Fortunately, they are refusing to take things lying down.

Evesham is following in the footsteps of Pershore by launching a loyalty card that encourages shoppers to spend in the town.

The scheme, to which more than 70 shops have signed up, begins in October.

It is jointly funded by Worcestershire County Council, Wychavon District Council and the Evesham Market Town Partnership, and is just the sort of inspiring alliance between public and private sectors that is required if we are to ride out this recession successfully.

We have faith that this scheme will help highlight to shoppers what a fabulous range of businesses they have on their own doorstep, that there are great deals to be had, and that local stores deserve to be supported.

We hope, too, that this scheme will be embraced across the Vale and Cotswolds. Our towns will continue to prosper despite the slump with bright ideas like this.