Community urged to back Bridgnorth traders through app scheme

Bridgnorth has received funding to set up a "ShopAppy" website, aimed at making it easier to shop locally and, in turn, boosting the town's economy.

A meeting was held at The Crown in the High Street on Tuesday evening for retailers to learn more and speak to experts from ShopAppy, so they are ready for the launch on November 5. It is hoped the scheme will give the town's economy a shot in the arm given the difficulties facing the high street, which were exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The town received a £16,000 Shropshire Council economic recovery fund grant for the scheme, so it can remain free for retailers to sign up to and shoppers to use.

More than 40 retailers have signed up already, including some of the town's biggest names.

Sally Themans, of Love Bridgnorth, said the meeting was positive, but insisted people need to support the scheme to make it worthwhile for the town.

"It went really well," she said. "We had the ShopAppy people on Zoom and about 18 retailers there as well as four councillors.

"The community has got to get behind this and people have got to use it. I think it will go down well. I've done a lot of Facebook posting about it and we had a survey that's had about 50 responses of people saying they think it's a good idea.

"There have been people who've said they have mobility problems so this will really help them - or people who want to shop local but are working during the day when the shops are open. Having this will make it easier so they can do their shopping online and pick it up at the end of the day.

"Some retailers expressed concerns about perishables, but our collection point is at The Crown. They have dedicated fridge space for ShopAppy.

"There are lots of shops which have a high amount of products, so that might be quite challenging for them. It will be interesting to see how they use it.

"It's all about making sure the retailers are ready for the launch now."

It is expected that there will be special events and offers on the launch day from several of the traders involved.