1. Chamberlink May 1-26.qxp_Chamberlink 29/04/2021 09:29 Page 19
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Business bouncing back
Consumers urged to ‘get out and shop’ in town centres
Can you work anywhere?
By Jessica Brookes Retailers and hospitality venues across Cannock Chase, Lichfield, Tamworth and Sutton Coldfield are throwing open their doors to customers again, with the help and support of local organisations dotted across the regions. ‘Get out and shop’ is the rallying cry being made to locals in Cannock Chase by Fred Pritchard, chairman of the Cannock Chase Town Centre Partnership. Shop local: Fred Pritchard
‘Get out and shop and do business in your town to retain your shops and local businesses’ He is urging punters to return to the heart of the community, the town centre, in order for venues to move forward past the pandemic. Fred, a former Cannock Chase Chamber president, said: “Cannock
town centre is the heart of the community and it is vital that it returns back to normality as a matter of extreme urgency once more, to resume normal life and vitality to our town centre for every one in business particularly following these extremely difficult times and for the benefit of our community.” He added: “The message is also clear to the community, get out and shop and do business in your
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town to retain your shops and local businesses; and remember, if you don’t use it you will lose it.” In nearby Sutton Coldfield, the royal town’s shopping centre Gracechurch has been enticing shoppers back through a number of offers and live events, as well as working with retailers to boost health and safety measures. Gracechurch manager Angela Henderson said: “As lockdown restrictions start to ease, we urge people to shop local and visit the centre to help support their local retailers. A great deal of effort has gone into making The Gracechurch Centre a safe place for staff and customers. Everyone has a part to play in this, and we would ask all our customers to be respectful of others and always follow the latest Government guidelines as closely as possible when visiting the centre.” Lichfield District Council has to made efforts to encourage shoppers back to venues, via its Love Local campaign. The campaign features posters, banners, leaflets and social media adverts which firms can use to encourage visitors to wear face coverings, social distance and shop local. Down the A5 in Tamworth, a line-up of shows and events have been organised for Tamworth families to enjoy this summer by the town’s borough council. After a year of limited outdoor events and the closure of all theatre venues across the UK, a great line-up of events and acts are being planned for Tamworth, ready for the anticipated easing of restrictions. The outdoor arts and events calendar will kick off at Tamworth Castle grounds, with an outdoor stage performance of David Walliams story ‘Mr Stink’ on 30 May. Subject to roadmap restrictions easing from 17 May, Tamworth Assembly Rooms theatre shows will begin with children’s entertainment the Twirlywoos in late May, then the Sarah and Duck Show in June, along with the talented D-Day Darlings performance on 27 June. Other planned Assembly Rooms performances include Francis Rossi, from Status Quo, a Take That Tribute and the Barricade Boys direct from the West End, in July.
The journey out of lockdown is impacting on businesses in different ways. For some it means reopening shops or pubs that have been closed, for others returning to workplaces after a year of working from home. But is it right to go back to the office? This year has meant many businesses have been able to reassess their operations. It has become clear that we don’t all need to be based in the same building to be productive. Many big businesses have announced a more flexible approach to working hours post-pandemic, with Nationwide, PwC and BP all offering employees more flexibility. Nationwide have introduced a “work anywhere” policy after a survey showed that employees preferred to work from home. These decisions have huge financial implications. Office rental and associated costs can be a significant part of a business’ budget, and fewer office workers means less need for costly office space. But if you want to offer maximum flexibility to your workforce, you need to have the right technology in place. Customerfacing teams need access to the right information to enable them to answer customer queries, take payment, process refunds and solve problems. Non-customer facing teams need to be able to collaborate virtually as well as they can if they are all in the same office. System security and disaster recovery plans need to be built in as standard. There’s a lot to consider, but we can help. If your business future includes the “work anywhere” approach, please get in touch: Alan Pallett and Steve Ward Directors NTS Communications Promoting Growth Through Technology Specialists in Unified Comms, Contact Centres, Cloud T: 0345 450 0333 E: info@nts-comms.co.uk W: nts-comms.co.uk
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