Chesterfields independent retailers to be given a helping hand to get online

Riding high on Chesterfield’s national retail success, Destination Chesterfield is offering the town’s independent shop owners the chance to get further ahead and is running a brand new Digital High Street course. The course is the first phase of business support which is being offered through Destination Chesterfield’s Incubation Street campaign.

With only 33% of businesses having an online presence and 14% currently selling their products via the internet, the National Skills Academy for Retail with the Association of Town and City Managers have developed the course to assist small businesses to develop a multi-channel marketing approach.

It is hoped the course will play a role in helping Chesterfield maintain its top 10 position of retail centres with least vacant shops.

Eight-five per cent of the cost of the course is being met by the Portas Pilot Town Team Funding, with a contribution from the Chesterfield Champions. Costing £30 per person, the Digital High Street course is being delivered by the Source in Partnership with Destination Chesterfield and Chesterfield Borough Council.

The course is open to any retail businesses in the Chesterfield Borough and comprises three four hour modules covering key areas of online marketing including, understanding customer and digital marketing, developing business online and using social media to grow business.

Destination Chesterfield Manager,Dominic Stevenssaid: “We are very excited about the Digital High Street course. It represents the start of a network of support that we will be offering new and established independent businesses as part of our Incubation Street campaign during 2014.

“Research has shown that the more digitally enabled a company is, the faster it tends to grow. We have a number of business growth success stories in Chesterfield and courses such as this will help produce more, further bringing the town to the attention of investors.”

Dates for the Digital High Street course run throughout June and July and bookings can be made at Chesterfield Tourist Information Centre in Rykneld Square,Chesterfield.

For further information, please visit www.chesterfield.co.uk/digital-high-street

Source:Destination Chesterfield