A FAMILY-OWNED butchers shop in the city's much loved Oastler Market has shared how it is modernising thanks to a new local business campaign.

John Smith and his son Stuart have run J Hutchinson Butchers for more than 40 years but saw their sales drop during the covid-19 lockdown.

The pair started up a Facebook page to try share the different meats on offer and connect with customers virtually. But this seemed to cause even more chaos with Stuart spending his nights replying to messages, sorting out payments and writing down orders with old school pen and paper.

Stuart told the Telegraph & Argus: "When this pandemic started the shop went quiet. It had gone from being really busy when everyone was panic buying to lockdown when there was no one in the market.

"You can't carry on making nothing can you? We started off by doing a basic Facebook so you can put orders on there. It got really busy. I had to ring the customers individually and manually."

LOCALiQ - the digital arm of the Telegraph & Argus - wanted to step in and help small, independent businesses like J Hutchinson Butchers.

It set about a project which would help SME's sell goods and services both from a physical shop or office but also to be able to sell online.

During the COVID crisis more than 70 per cent of transactions have been online while LOCALiQ has seen a 200 per cent increase in consumers looking to buy locally using some form of ‘click and collect’ option. Despite this, many businesses are not set up to sell goods online and need a website that ticks all the boxes.

Stuart, who now owns www.jhutchinsonbutchers.co.uk said: "It will save me a lot of time.

"People will just put their orders in and it will come to us in an email. They pay online so I don't have that three hours on a morning ringing round to take money."

Steve Lowe, sales director at the Telegraph & Argus and LOCALiQ, explained: "We have launched a new eCommerce website package for local businesses helping them to get online and to sell goods vis the internet too.

"We will build them a new website that is all set up with online payment etc. Plus do an overall digital audit with them to ensure their local directory listings are all correct, which is key to ranking well on Google and Bing, check that Facebook and Google etc are all set up properly, and if not set them up as part of the service. We are aware cash flow and marketing budgets are both tight, so the cost of the website can be paid over five monthly interest free payments of only £500, just pay £500 deposit. The remaining payments start once the website is up and running.

Contact Japinder.aujley@localiq.co.uk for a no-obligation chat and more details.

What does the package include?

  • E-commerce website support and build
  • Digital support and audit
  • Facebook and Google my Business set up for free
  • Training and how to load products
  • Additional marketing budget activated once the website goes live
  • Ongoing account support from the T&A and LOCALiQ team