The Association of Commerce and Services in the Algarve Services (ACRAL) has submitted a plan for a Compensation Fund for Local Trade to fund a ‘buy local’ advertising campaign.
The money would come from local councils and then would be spent on combating the likely negative effects on local trade by the opening next spring of the IKEA store near Loulé.
ACRAL proposes that a fund is created by transferring a percentage of the money received by the Algarve’s councils, particularly from shop licensing fees, advertising sign payments and fines received.
Álvaro Viegas from ACRAL proposed the idea during a presentation at the headquarters of the mayors’ group AMALL and submitted a document with several ideas to mitigate the negative impact of IKEA on local traders.
“Addressing the challenge of turning the threat of IKEA into an opportunity requires a clear commitment to a new way of looking at the local market through marketing, advertising and promotion and collective and continuous effort,” said Viegas who urged the mayors to invest in the creation of a ‘Local Trade’ brand with the cuddly image of being closer to the customer where sympathy, friendship and quality are paramount.
The brand would be launched with a major advertising campaign using various media such as billboards, posters, radio, social media and newspaper advertising, said Viegas who challenged the mayors to organise special bus services to take people with mobility issues living a long way away to the shops.
