NEW WEBSITE LAUNCHES IN WEST BERKSHIRE TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO SHOP WITH SMALL LOCAL BUSINESSES

Made In The Shire, a new online shop to showcase West Berkshire’s small and independent businesses, launched recently with the aim to make it easy for people to shop local and shop small.

Founded by two local entrepreneurs who live in Woolton Hill, Newbury, Abbie Dando and Laura Maton created Made In The Shire following their own desire to find small and independent business owners at a click of the button; removing the need to scroll through endless Instagram pages and websites.

“Lockdown was when the idea of Made In The Shire came to us.

We both decided to boycott Amazon and instead buy products – as well as services – from small business owners in West Berkshire.

Despite mixing in Newbury’s independent business network for many years and knowing many small business owners by name, we still struggled to find exactly what we were looking for when we needed it,” said Abbie Dando, Co-Founder of Made In The Shire.

Co-Founder Laura Maton continues, “Latest research tells us that 45% of shoppers bought more locally produced goods in 2021, compared to 2020*, so we know shopping consciously is at the forefront of even more consumers’ minds.

However shopping consciously isn’t always quick or straightforward.

Our aim with Made In The Shire is to bridge the gap between local shoppers and local businesses making it much easier for small producers in West Berkshire to be found.”

Locals visiting Made In The Shire can expect to find an array of independent West Berkshire businesses offering food and drink, homes and interiors, health and wellness, and family-focused businesses and services.

There’s also a What’s On section featuring local events, as well as a dedicated page for cafes, pubs and restaurants.

Many businesses featuring in Made In The Shire’s online shop are also offering shoppers 10% off their orders with the code MITS10.

Barnaby Smith, founder of GrapeSmith which is based in Hungerford, is one of the small businesses featuring on the new online shop.

He said: “When I learnt about Made In The Shire I instantly knew it would be a great platform to spread more awareness about my wine merchant store and services and reach more people across the county.

As an independent business owner it’s difficult to invest in every marketing tactic due to limited resources and budgets, however Made In The Shire will hopefully become the go-to place for locals who are motivated to feel good about their purchases.”

Made In The Shire launched in June 2022 and can be found at www.madeintheshire.co.uk

In October 2022 the brand will also launch a magazine that showcases the businesses in the online shop.

This magazine will be delivered to over 5,000 homes across West Berkshire.

ABOUT MADE IN THE SHIRE

Made In The Shire is an online shop and a magazine that brings West Berkshire’s small and independent businesses together in one place to make it easy for shoppers to buy from local producers and services more easily and conveniently.

The brand was co-founded by Abbie Dando and Laura Maton who are both small business owners in Woolton Hill, Newbury.

Shop Local. Shop Small. Shop Made In The Shire.

Contact:

For further information please contact Abbie Dando on hello@madeintheshire.co.uk or 07477987943.

*Research conducted by Statista.com