A business leader is hopeful that shopping local will become the “new norm” for scores of people who have been forced to change their habits as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
Lossiemouth Business Association chairwoman Jill Fletcher believes that people are learning to embrace new ways of buying groceries – which could create long-term benefits for traders in the Moray town.
She has already heard from shoppers saying they will make a point of buying meat from local butchers rather than supermarkets in the future, after recently sampling produce from a local firm.
Mrs Fletcher said: “I guess one of those positives could be that people will stay in Lossiemouth and support local businesses, rather than making journeys out and about.
“We are looking at comments on social media, where people are saying they just forgot how good local produce tastes.
“This is fantastic because it is giving that support to the local people who are going to struggle through this. And hopefully, once this ends, it will be become the norm.”
Mrs Fletcher said that the association was pushing the message to shop local and avoid unnecessary travel throughout lockdown.
She added: “We are trying really hard to push and promote the businesses that are staying open, along the lines of ‘why travel when we have everything on the doorstep in Lossiemouth’.
“We are trying our best to reassure owners that we are doing anything possible we can in terms of supporting open and closed businesses.
“We are doing our bit not just to promote businesses, but to discourage people from driving into Elgin when they have everything here.”
Many Lossiemouth traders have came up with ways to help the community during the pandemic, such as ladies clothes shop Unique making scrubs for the NHS since being forced to shut.
Heldon and Laich councillor John Cowe praised the Lossiemouth Community Trust, business association and community council for pulling together.
