Just prior to Independents’ Day, research suggests amount of indies on British high streets has grown for first time in five years.

In partnership with Local Rewards, the organiser of Independents’ Day UK – a campaign that encourages shoppers to use the goods and services of independent businesses – is encouraging consumers to make an extra effort to ‘shop small’ this weekend from 2nd-3rd July.

The call comes as research from the Local Data Company has identified that the proportion of independent retailers on British high streets has grown from 64% in 2016 to 67% in 2021. According to the Local Data Company, this represents an increase in the amount of independent retail businesses in the UK for the first time in five years, by net 2,157 retailers in 2021.

In addition, the majority of high street occupiers across the country are now independent (67%), with the rest (33%) being multiples.

Howard Robinson, a spokesperson for the Independents’ Day UK campaign, explains: “Independents are the life and soul of our high streets, offering levels of service, personal touch and character that many larger multiples would dream of. Despite the challenges posed by Covid across the last two years, Britain’s indies have risen to the top and proved their ingenuity and adaptability to not just survive, but thrive in difficult circumstances.”

He added: “That said, it really still is a case of use them or lose them, so this weekend, and all year round, we are encouraging shoppers to head down to their high street, whether it’s for a bottle of wine or barbecue supplies, and shop small.”

To learn more about Independents’ Day UK, click here.