In today’s uber-connected and mobile-enabled world retailers need to find more ways to promote their local connection. But even more important is that they have a genuine / practical local connection to promote.
Saying you live locally and support local charities will not be enough to some consumers, they want to buy products you have sourced locally and they want you to be transparent about it.
At a Whole Foods Market in New York on the weekend I saw this sign next to the juice made from the fruit grown by the growers promoted in the poster. Here, Whole Foods is saying here is the proof we support these local growers and you should too. This goes considerably further than a simple plaintive shop local.
In a newsagency this is challenging since so much of what we sell is sourced outside our local area by necessity. So, we need to work harder at building a local connection that is not product related.