Coronavirus: Will people keep buying local after lockdown?
- Published
Food and drink is a major contributor to the economy of south west Scotland
Many people have turned to local firms to deliver essentials during lockdown, but are they likely to stay loyal as restrictions ease?
In Dumfries and Galloway, a study is being carried out, external to see if Covid-19 is likely to lead to longer-lasting changes in shopping habits.
Local food and drink organisation Savour the Flavours plans to use the information to help small firms - some of which have grown or adapted their business during the pandemic.
"It would be a tragedy if the local businesses who worked so hard to keep our region supplied with essential goods are abandoned as lockdown eases," said the group's Liz Ramsay.
"If this crisis has taught us anything at all, it's that in a rural region like Dumfries and Galloway, our small local businesses are who we can rely on."
The fishmonger
Ronnie Graham said they saw 90% of their trade disappear overnight
Barony Country Foods, a fishmonger and game dealer based in Lochmaben, had to adjust quickly at the start of the lockdown.
"At least 90% of our business would have been through hotels and restaurants," said Ronnie Graham.
"Overnight we just lost all of that trade completely - it was very frightening.
"Virtually one week you have got a business, the next week you haven't."
They were even considering winding up the business before something changed.
"We had a terrible week and then after that the phone just kept ringing with people wanting deliveries to their houses," he said.
They ended up buying in toilet rolls, flour and baking powder because people were struggling to get them.
"Without blowing our own trumpet we went the extra mile for them," said Mr Graham.
"We looked after our local customers when they needed us and I would just say to them: 'When Tesco and Aldi are all in full swing again - with the greatest of respect - please don't forget about us'."
The dairy
Aylett Roan said her phone went into "meltdown" with people wanting to become new customers
At Roan's Dairy, a family business based near Dalbeattie, Aylett Roan saw her phone go "into meltdown" as soon as lockdown was announced.
"Solidly for, I don't know, two or three weeks the phone just never ever stopped ringing - it was absolutely constant," she said.
"It was unbelievable and then very quickly within the first week of basically no sleep, no leaving the office, we realised that the three of us couldn't handle it any more."
They took on extra staff but that comes with extra costs - new computer systems, new vehicles and new rounds in different areas where they hadn't delivered before.
"Obviously you want your business to progress and get bigger but we did what you would want to do in the space of a couple of years, we managed to do it in about a month and a half," she said.
The business has had to invest in order to meet the new demand
Ms Roan added that the bottom line for her business was more than just making a profit.
"Money is money but just being decent and trying to help people is more important," she said.
Some customers have gone back to old shopping habits already and Ms Roan admitted she was unsure if enough people would change their ways to keep these new business models going.
"I don't think the percentage of people will be there for that, so it's not going to be sustainable in the long-run," she said.
"However, I really hope I am proved wrong."
The baker
Kerr Little tested out doorstep delivery for his pies and found demand surged
Kerr Little, of The Little Bakery in Dumfries, is a regular at farmers' markets across the region and saw a huge chunk of trade disappear overnight.
He kept going, supplying pies and rolls to a local food bank, and in early April tested out doorstep delivery of pies - and demand soared.
"Local food is about people, not just products," he said.
"Maybe it's an old fashioned way to do business, it's like winding the clock back, but I've found it wonderful.
"Every order that comes in helps the team feel that their jobs are that wee bit more secure, and the support from local people has meant I've been able to take on three more members of staff over the past month.
"The more people buy local, the more local jobs we can protect."
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