With the Halloween festivities over for another year, the immediate attention now turns to Christmas and for Irish shoppers, the next few weeks are bound to be busy but very different due to the Level 5 restrictions.
This year will be markedly different for shoppers with stores, supermarkets, shops and every other location in the retail sector closed due to the lockdown measures.
To compound matters, 2020 has been an extremely difficult year for the Irish retail sector with COVID impacting revenues and sadly, leading to job losses and massive financial insecurities.
With the busy shopping period almost upon us, Virgin Media will be highlighting local businesses in the coming weeks in a bid to get people to buy Irish this Christmas.
For Virgin Media, they're calling on Irish companies, shops, and retailers to feature in their #BackingLocal Christmas campaign.
As Christmas approaches, Ireland AM will be supporting Irish businesses by featuring them on the show and tailoring sponsored programming across Virgin Media channels.
For those interested, the station is looking to hear from all local business owners, shops, and stores.
In a statement, they said: "As part of Virgin Media’s #BackingBusiness campaign that launched in April, Ireland AM is calling on local Irish businesses to feature in its #BackingLocal campaign which gives businesses the opportunity to promote their service or product to the nation in the run-up to the festive season. In addition, viewers are invited to nominate their favourite local shop, producer or business."
Speaking about the initiative, Ireland AM presenter Tommy Bowe said; “Virgin Media’s #BackingLocal campaign is more important than ever and we want to encourage more people to return to shopping locally, in a way that is safe and gives them confidence.
"Small businesses are the beating heart of communities and towns up and down the country and are at the centre of the recovery.
"These small firms – from the local butcher to the local grocery shop – were there for the nation during the lockdown and now they need our support to get back on their feet, especially in the run-up to Christmas”.
