ILKLEY Town AFC have launched the‘Shop Local Today’ initiative to aid local businesses in these unprecedented times.

This new venture is there to help businesses acquire and retain customers by using effective advertising.

It gives them an opportunity to come out of covid-19 with a plan, which will help drive footfall to their stores in the short term, and also provide a long term plan to build growth and sustainability.

Town will supply proven, tested, measurable marketing campaigns, all focused on high yield returns.

The initiative will also provide a fully functional e-commerce site to provide an extra source of income.

The club already have sponsors who directly work with them to mutually grow and make more people aware of the businesses Ilkley has on offer.

Ilkley's commercial director, Paul Wintersgill, feels it is important to continue supporting local trade and believes his team's experience can benefit those who need their help in the retail industry.

He said: “We know how important the local community and local businesses are, we wouldn’t have a club without them.”

"During the covid-19 lock-down, we have been doing what we can to make our community aware of the local businesses that are still open, providing regular shout-outs through our social media and email channels so that our members and supporters know these shops are open and the help they can provide.”

"We now want to do more: we want to make everyone in Ilkley aware of the great stores we have, of the great businesses the owners have built and the fantastic products and services they offer.

"We want everyone in Ilkley to get behind the local independent and ‘shop local’ today, tomorrow, and the day after.

"We realise that when we are allowed back to some sort of normality, everything we took for granted will have changed, to what extent we are yet to find out.

"In order to get the local economy going again, local businesses are going to need as much support as they can get.

"We are pleased to announce the launch of a new initiative by the club, to not only support local businesses, but to help them prosper and build a sustainable platform to thrive."

Wintersgill added: "If a business can’t measure their marketing and get a ROI (return of investment), it probably doesn’t work. So why waste time and money on consultants, or strategies that they don’t need.

"What they need is 25 years of retail experience, both offline and online, a solid and sustainable strategy and proven tactics that work consistently - all of which we will provide.”

"Most business owners have very little time to market themselves, they have a basic understanding of social media and generally do not have the expertise to maximise the channels available to drive awareness and people to their store.

"We’ve considered this initiative with these people in mind, and created a solution that will work for them."

Discover what ‘Shop Local Today’ can do for you with a no-obligation chat with Paul.

Call him on 07713 656468, or email paulwin77@gmail.com