Nationwide Easter egg hunt planned to tackle declining footfall

Fifty-six UK towns will launch the ‘Enjoy an Independent Easter’ campaign on 23 March in a bid to encourage more shoppers into town centres.

Over 1,100 retailers will participate in the event, created by ‘retail champion’ Clare Rayner to reward consumers for taking the time to visit their local, independent traders.

Independent traders will be listed on a map that shoppers will follow to collect stickers in order to complete the hunt. Once the qualifying number of eggs is collected, the map is swapped a real chocolate egg and completion certificate for the children taking part.

The initiative will run until 14 April to capture the whole of the school Easter holiday period.

“It’s no secret that UK retailers, and particularly the smaller, independent businesses, need all the help they can get,” said Clare Rayner.

“Research produced by our official supporter the British Independent Retailers Association, and one of our sponsors, O2 Priority Moments, showed that some 16 per cent of all independent retailers fear they will not survive 2013 if things don’t improve. With Local Data Company stats showing that independent retailer numbers declined in the second half of 2012 for the first time in two years, the loss of more shops from our high streets and villages is a very real risk. If something isn’t done to help re-connect local consumers with local businesses, it is forecast that the UK high street vacancy rate could climb from around 14 per cent to an alarming 17 per cent.

“It’s simple, effective activities, such as the Easter egg hunt, that can really help to start the process of changing consumer habits, reminding people that they stand to lose all the fantastic shops in their area if they never visit them and never spend with them.”

To find out more about the Easter egg hunts, including participating locations, visit www.indieeaster.co.uk/