News

The Angus Independent Retailer Programme was delivered to independent retailers in November 2022 to support local economic recovery following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Funded by the Scottish Government Local Authority Covid Economic Recovery (LACER) Fund, the programme provided tailored support for independent retailers with 1-2-1 business advice to help the retail sector maintain long-term sustainability.

Elevator UK were appointed to deliver a bespoke retail programme that included stakeholder engagement with eligible businesses within Arbroath, Brechin, Carnoustie, Forfar, Kirriemuir, Monifieth and Montrose, focussing on recovery, growth, adaptation and resilience.

A total of 83 businesses participated in the programme – an increase of 13 from the initial target of 70 businesses. Workshops were well attended across the seven towns and feedback was extremely positive.

Added support was offered to help businesses improve their digital skills and over 60 businesses took advantage of this.

The programme also included a small grant scheme option for those eligible to support business development and improve customer experience. We have now provided follow up grants to 57 businesses who participated in the programme to support their aspirations to improve the shopping experience on each of the high street areas and make changes to their premises.

Participant Testimonials:

“Angus Council along with the E3 team deserve a gold star for providing this course. I would urge any other business given the opportunity to participate in future courses to attend, they won’t be disappointed.”

“Very informative and enjoyed every minute of it. It made me think out of the box very quickly on changes I want to make to the ‘look’ of my business and with your support hope to achieve this.”

“I would like to commend your team on the person-centred business support you are looking to provide, I thought that was amazing.”

“I’m definitely feeling more confident about moving my business forward.”