The Power of Shopping Small alongside Big Brands in our City Centre

Post by Emily Whitehead, BID Business Support Officer

As you might imagine, the topic of creating great shopping and visitor experiences in the city centre comes up a lot in the BID offices. What do visitors and shoppers really want? How can we make a visit memorable? What sort of shopping do they like? What’s the magic mix of experiences that makes people return? It’s not a quick win and there’s certainly no easy answer. However, there is a powerful movement that is gaining shape and influence across the UK and it’s having an impact in Stoke on Trent’s city centre this Christmas.




Shopping small is often seen as something cute that you might do at a Christmas market. Perhaps it’s even viewed as something that means more expense or trudging around. The lure of big brand shopping may even drown out the option of shopping small for many. But something is happening to our city centre that is placing the magic of shopping small alongside the convenience of shopping for big brands, and it’s having a very positive effect. The Potteries Centre have been trialling opening up empty units to small businesses for a while and this year have taken the giant leap of creating the biggest ever, large unit pop up in partnership with the fabulous Keep It Local. Staffordshire’s first ‘Creative Department Store’, with over 150 independent small businesses all under one roof, Keep It Local are placing a ‘shop small’ experience at the heart of convenient, warm, sparkly ‘mall shopping’, with stunning hand made, locally produced goods, beautifully merchandised in a big store setting. Andy and his team carefully choose and curate local makers and small business products under one roof to help shoppers find unique gifts, discovering little businesses in their area that they may never have otherwise known. They have grown a new community of fans that are feeling excited about, and proud of, what they find. Andy says, “It's been absolutely incredible. Sales have been amazing but more than that, we really feel that we are helping to give people a reason to come back to Hanley again. It has attracted customers from Derby, Nottingham and we had a visit from a couple who lived in Austria who were staying in Manchester and had heard about our shop and jumped on a train to Stoke to see it.”

In addition, Andy has also regularly heard comments from customers including:

"I never come up to Hanley, but I will now"
"This is just what Hanley needs"
"You have restored my faith in Christmas - I've not felt the magic since Lewis' disappeared"

To celebrate Small Business Saturday this year, Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce also held an exciting ‘City Centrepreneurs’ event inside the Potteries Centre in partnership with us at the BID to showcase start up and small businesses from the city who wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to this kind of larger audience. This celebration of enterprise and start ups provides so much experience and feedback for the entrepreneurs
themselves, while also elevating the shopping experience for Christmas visitors.

Tom Nadin from the Chamber said, “The City Centrepreneurs event was fantastic showcase of local businesses and entrepreneurial success in the heart of our city Centre. It was inspiring to see partners and the local community come together to
support small businesses. Feedback has been fantastic from all those involved, with many now considering their own market stalls or spaces in the City Centre. The Chamber, BID and University are already looking forward to planning our next City
Centrepreneurs event in 2025.”

This year we also saw the multi award winning Jake Burgess from Castle Artisan Events, celebrated at the University of Staffordshire Business Awards for the impact his artisan markets have had on the city centre experience in Stoke on Trent.
Bringing together local and regional artisans, makers and producers, Jake has been able to enrich a city centre visit for shoppers as well as the invaluable support markets offer to the businesses themselves. Alongside these more temporary experiences and offers, are the permanent, year round independent shops, venues and eateries that do everything to enhance the experience of visitors in the city centre. Creating shopping small vibes, delicious visits and a very special kind of city centre warm hug of a welcome, small and independent trading in Hanley is a vital ingredient for a good visit. The Indoor market is packed with super-fans and regular shoppers enjoying ‘old school’ fruit and veg shopping, more delicious food and a buzzing market feel all year round. So what can we conclude about the the perfect recipe for a city centre visit or shopping experience? What is the real impact of big and small sitting side by side?

Creating a high quality mix of retail, eating and events is key to differentiating a city centre experience from online shopping or shopping centres with only the big brands present. It supports the development of a new identity for a city centre where the narrative has been for too long that of decline or failure. Rather than focussing on ‘losing big brands’, there’s now a new opportunity to sell the benefits of mixing big and small to create great experiences in one place. The city centre is now a place for entrepreneurs, local makers, big brand shopping, eating out, quality entertainment, seasonal events, live music, museums, cocktails and beauty treatments - all in one friendly and safe place.

Exploiting the power of shopping small and independent in the city centre sends a clear message to everyone, that Stoke on Trent is a place to do business successfully. It’s reminds us all that there is huge, often untapped, talent and creativity in the city that simply needs an outlet to shine and champions to support. It reminds us that we live in a vibrant, diverse and energetic place that is building a new city centre vibe despite the bad press. Giving small businesses the opportunity to trade and learn in, and among big brand favourites and visitor attractions and places to eat, gives everyone a better chance of trading success and memorable visits. Re writing the messages about the city centre and the experiences it offers also
provides hope for those who live and trade here. We always knew that Hanley was more than empty units and grumpy headlines, but there is now proof that success comes from variety, supporting the little business alongside the big and shouting
loudly about what is good, really works. Imagine the impact when we say to local university graduates that staying here beyond their course is an affordable, exciting next chapter in their lives. Imagine the impact of creativity, entrepreneurial vigour and innovation washing over the city centre because it has recognised that developing new experiences and creating new opportunities for all sizes of business is vital.



So what’s in store for 2025 in the city centre and what can we do individually and collectively to build on the successes of this year?

We are exploring an ‘Empty Units Partnership’ to identify and welcome new business into the city centre.
In recognition of the latent potential that is all around us, there are incentives and support for businesses looking to make their mark on the city centre.

2025 is the city’s Centenary year!
With an exciting programme of events and celebrations across the city, it seems the perfect year to rediscover the new vibes
and experiences the city centre has to offer. Whether you’re a history geek who loves a good brew, a music fan who enjoys ‘good scran’, a shopping queen who is thrilled by big and small brands, a book worm who enjoys a quiet mooch or you’re
looking for an ‘all in one’ experience that only a city centre can offer, then pop the city centre into your ‘to do’ list.

Offering support and positivity has never mattered more.
In a world of ‘click bait’ and assumptions, it’s on all of us to counter the view that our city centre is failing. It simply isn’t. Even if spending isn’t possible, we can offer social media support, share events and favourite businesses with friends, engage with positive news about the city and simply visit, notice and enjoy the clean and increasingly green spaces.

NOTE:
If you’re a business in the city centre then check the BID website to see all the support and initiatives available to you.
We’re also hosting a series of ‘collectives’ across 2025, to gather city centre champions and business owners together. Each collective will have a different theme around which to share, learn and engage. We can't wait to see you there.