Rochdale business owner praises local community

While the pandemic has proven to be a difficult situation for local retailers, many businesses have found that when faced with no other choice, they can adapt quickly and think up new ways to continue trading.

One business owner who has been determined to find the positives is Philip Buckley, of stylish town centre store, Buckley Menswear. Philip has been overwhelmed by the show of support from the local community, commenting: "As an independent you work hard at building relationships and connecting with your customers and it’s been that community that’s been supporting us. People have been popping in for a catch up and buying a few new bits. It’s still awkward as most people are rightly being cautious about socialising and therefore don’t have that need for a new shirt but the support we’ve had has been fantastic."

Philip added: "Even new customers have sought us out and come in to to help and it’s highlighted how much the public do appreciate independent shops. We are the retailers who give the town a bit of character and combined with the ever growing food and drink offering we have I believe we are one of the best towns in the North."

Like many other independents, Buckley Menswear used social media to keep in touch with their loyal customers during lockdown. Philip explained: "It wasn’t just promoting certain garments, we made it more personal and people reacted positively to that. My daughter and I made local deliveries on our bikes [pictured: right] and we even posted a rather funny TikTok! We did quite a few one-to-one appointments too, and this is something we have continued to promote since we re-opened, as well as a FaceTime shopping option."

Despite the positive mood, safety measures are still top priority in-store to ensure customers can shop with confidence. Philip added: "We don’t have a heavy footfall, so if customers want to try things on we can allow that and we can easily manage the garments that have been tried and isolate them appropriately."

"Overall it’s made us be more pro active and helped us to appreciate the community we have around us, whether that’s our fantastic town centre, the great bars, the various independent shops or our loyal customers."