In the next few weeks, the Zoutpansberger will be running a "support local" campaign to highlight the role local businessmen and -women are playing in the economy.
The campaign will focus on the impact on the local economy if consumers opt to support local businesses. Not only does the money stay in the region, it also provides much-needed job opportunities.
According to research done in the United States, 68% of money spent at local businesses stay in that economy. In the case of national chain stores, only 43% of the money remains. When purchases are done online at national or international stores, virtually nothing remains.
The money that circulates in the local economy benefits all sectors of the community. Research in the US has also shown that small-business owners are much more willing to support charitable organisations. This figure is set at 250% more than the owners of large corporations.
In a society where service delivery and consumer satisfaction become more important, small businesses are starting to move to the forefront. Consumers are no longer content with merely being a number and they demand personal attention. For the large corporations, the focus is on volumes, often at the expense of the needs of individual consumers.
The sad part, however, is that the small businesses do not always receive the support of the local consumers. For a perceived benefit of a discounted price, the consumers flog to chain stores, often hundreds of kilometres away. When the small business then closes down, everyone else is to blame.
The term "local business" is not as straightforward as it may seem. The Soutpansberg has a number of owner-managed small businesses, but one also finds several branded stores where the franchise owner is a local businessman or -woman. In our campaign, we will try and focus on all businesses where the majority shares are being held by local residents.
The campaign will entail visiting local businesses, taking a photo and getting a bit of information as to how many people each business employs. The photos and detail will then be displayed in a full-page montage, along with reasons why supporting local businesses is important. No costs are involved for local business owners who agree to participate in the campaign.
For more information, George or Yolanda can be contacted at (015) 516 4996/7.