The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) is backing a new campaign called Buy Unique, Shop Boutique. The aim of the campaign is to remind customers that indies need them now more than ever.

Indie fashionwear group Boutiques in Business has launched Buy Unique, Shop Boutique; introducing it ahead of the reopening of ‘non-essential’ retail in England on 12 April. It’s the latest initiative from the group behind the successful reverse mannequin campaign, which signified the Government having turned its back on independent retail.

The campaign aims to act as a reminder that small businesses will need all the support they can get to take back their position on the high street.

Commenting is Amanda Slattery, owner of Maya Maya in Kendal, Cumbria, and founder of Boutiques in Business. “During lockdown, we all felt helpless. While our considered, crafted and well-designed products, often from small independent brands, hung on shelves untouched, mass-produced garments were flaunted in supermarkets and garden centres; even if people were just popping in for milk, the option for some retail therapy was clearly available to them.

“Our disappointment has continued as the essential/non-essential debate has not been addressed. However, as we come towards the end of lockdown, we hope to remind people of this unfairness and to ask them to help ‘put us back on the map’!”

Bira CEO, Andrew Goodacre adds; “We fully support this campaign. Indies need the support of customers now more than ever. The fashion sector has been particularly hard-hit during the pandemic and so this campaign could not be timelier.”