Spring & Autumn Fair launches Parliamentary petition after research finds retailers and consumers agree on a practical way to boost town centre visits
A new national campaign calling for a minimum of 90 minutes’ free parking in town and city centres across England has been launched by Spring & Autumn Fair, following research suggesting both retailers and consumers see parking as a key factor in encouraging high street visits.
The campaign, titled ‘Support Free Parking. Back Local Businesses. Bring People Back’, is centred around a Parliamentary petition calling on local authorities to consider parking as part of wider strategies to increase footfall and support independent businesses.
Research from Spring & Autumn Fair’s Voices of Retail programme, produced in partnership with Faire, found that 38% of independent retailers believe free parking would have the greatest positive impact on their business. Meanwhile, 63% of consumers said free parking would encourage them to visit town and city centres more frequently.
The findings are particularly relevant to independent greetings card retailers, for whom convenient access and regular footfall can be crucial to attracting shoppers.
The research also highlights consumers’ appetite for vibrant, varied high streets. Some 95% of consumers said they would spend more if their local high street offered a better mix of shops, while 96% wanted to see more independent retailers alongside cafés, bakeries and other experiences.
Jackson Szabo, Portfolio Director at Spring & Autumn Fair, said the campaign was about removing practical barriers that retailers and shoppers believe can discourage high street visits.
Retailers are being encouraged to support the campaign through a dedicated toolkit featuring window posters, QR-code till stickers, social media graphics and other digital assets.
The Parliamentary petition is now live, with retailers, consumers, suppliers and industry organisations invited to sign and share it.
Retailers can access the campaign materials by emailing visitor@autumnfair.com, while the petition can be signed on the UK Parliament petitions website.
