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4 Mar 2024

The British Book Awards has announced its shortlist for Independent Bookshop of the Year. 

4 Mar 2024

The ACT is happy to confirm the date for Local Bike Shop Day 2024 as Saturday 4 May, the weekend of the early May Bank Holiday.

4 Mar 2024

Research by global fintech company SumUp has revealed the best cities in the UK for independent businesses.

21 Feb 2024

The latest quarterly State of the Industry survey from the National Hair & Beauty Federation (NHBF) shows that the recovery of the sector was slow and steady through 2023 and into January...

21 Feb 2024

The UK has voted for its favourite pun-based shop name, and 'Sew It Seams' - a clothing alteration store in Belfast - has been awarded the top spot. 

21 Feb 2024

Businesses in the Devon town of Ottery St Mary have praised their local council for initiatives designed to help support them and boost trade.

19 Feb 2024

A new ranking of the most popular independent coffee shops in the world has put three UK cafes in the top 10.

19 Feb 2024

Older people could be the financial shot in the arm needed for Britain’s high street, according to research commissioned by the University of Stirling. 

8 Feb 2024

The ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has celebrated the crucial role that rural shops play in thousands of communities across the UK in its 2024 Rural Shop Report.

8 Feb 2024

New research reveals that Apple Pay and contactless payments have overtaken cash payments by a landslide as our favourite ways to pay in-store.

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Best Small Shops' "Meet the Innovators" series kicks off with Jacobs the Jewellers following their successful reopening

Posted on in Business News

This year's Best Jacobs the jewellersSmall Shops competition will see the addition of a special new category celebrating small retailers that overcame adversity in the form of the COVID-19 crisis and innovated during lockdown, or prepared their business for life as restrictions have loosened.

Our ‘Meet the Innovators' series will highlight some of the small shops that did something special during this difficult time, starting with Jacobs the Jewellers, who are based in Reading.

Jacobs were visited by Alok Sharma MP, Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Industry - after being recognised locally for setting a great example as a business successfully reopening following lockdown. We spoke to Adam Jacobs of Jacobs about his lockdown experience.

"During lockdown we emphasised our online abilities more heavily than before, putting phone consultations, online chats and video consultations if requested, at the centre of the online buying process.

"Our type of jewellery and watches have always required explanation and supporting assistance so by altering our website to promote this we dramatically improved our online sales.

"A new online appointment booking service embedded in our website was also introduced pre-opening. This smoothed customer flow and allowed personal selection of visiting times to suit.

"This has been enthusiastically picked up and is very popular, with 109 appointments being made in under 3 weeks for both repairs and new sales consultations. We'll definitely keep this on in conjunction with our National Association of Jewellers StoreSafe Covid-19 protocols."

Speaking about what he and has colleagues learned about the business during lockdown, Adam added: "We learned that we can be imaginative, creative, positive and resilient. We have a strong team dynamic and we bonded further with regular, weekly lockdown communications.

"Independents have a uniquely open and giving support structure almost hardwired in their DNA - that's what makes us special."

Enter your shop in the Best Small Shops Competition ‘Most Innovative Business During COVID-19' category here: bestsmallshops.uk/enter-now/.

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