Chamber urges people to #LoveCavan

Cavan is a county with a proud sense of place and this is a quality The Cavan Chamber of Commerce hopes to capitalise on in their latest campaign #LoveCavan. The business representative organisation are asking the pubic to continue the support that's been apparent since Phase 1of the easing of Covid 19 restrictions happened on May 18.

“By now many Cavan people have seen the new LoveCavan signage on the way into town,” Tom Brady, the president of Cavan Chamber of Commerce, says, “We now have the window stickers and we are distributing them around town.”

“With the signs up and the stickers printed we are now getting the message out about the reason for the LoveCavan campaign. It's similar to the Celt's shop local campaign in a way. We have distributed stickers and signs around town and we will try build momentum around the idea centring on the blue heart symbol as an appreciation of Cavan.”

The appreciation of Cavan that Tom speaks of is a two way street. Travelling that street are the businesses and their customers: “There is a new appreciation for supporting local. To a large degree our members want this campaign to express thanks to customers who've been thinking of us.”

“From a retail perspective we're in uncharted waters,” the Chamber President says, “the retail experience is different. Less people are physically going into the shop and browsing. There is a movement toward viewing stock online, or click-and-collect options. A number of retailers in Cavan have made this service available to customers and are engaging with a larger online client base.”

The changes brought about by the global pandemic have altered the way people do business in many ways: “We need to communicate with customers. People want to support local and we want to let people know we have more variety. We want to encourage people to engage with local retailers in the online environment.”

Tom says the assistance from the government have been vital for business: “All the supports are very welcome. Any support we get from local or national agencies is great and much appreciated. Simple things, like free parking in town, have been a help to local businesses.”

“The Enhanced Restart Grant facility for business and the waver on rates were tangible efforts to support businesses at a particularly tough time. Every business had expenses when opening up again to allow for social distancing, compliance and cleaning to ensure a safe environment for staff and customers. Our first priority is always the safety and well being of our staff and customers.”

The #LoveCavan campaign will be visible across the town and all Cavan businesses from retail to services will play their part: “We are tapping in to the support we have been show since lockdown finished,” Eddie Coleman, Chamber member and town centre retailer says, “We just want to thank the people for staying local. When you shop local, you keep jobs local.”

Eddie says that trading conditions are tough at present: “It's a little bit quieter at the moment. We just have to take the good with the bad and keep on going. People are very good and they are shopping local.”

The Cavan Gifts proprietor says he's looking to the future: “We are beginning to get our online presence sorted. We're not there yet, but it's something we are working towards.”

The #LoveCavan initiative will draw in as many businesses as possible: “The next step is to follow up with a Facebook campaign using the #LoveCavan and the blue heart. Hopefully all retailers will take part, regardless of Chamber membership, as we build this campaign in the lead up to Christmas. A number of businesses have been good enough to sponsor a sign,” Chamber president Tom Brady concluded.Cavan is a county with a proud sense of place and this is a quality the Cavan Chamber of Commerce hopes to capitalise on in its latest campaign #LoveCavan. The business representative organisation is asking the public to continue the support that has been apparent since Phase one of the easing of COVID-19 restrictions happened on May 18.

“By now many Cavan people have seen the new Love Cavan signage on the way into town,” Tom Brady, Chamber president said, adding that window stickers are also in the process of being distributed to shops and businesses around the county town.

“With the signs up and the stickers printed we are now getting the message out about the reason for the LoveCavan campaign. It's similar to the Celt's shop local campaign in a way. We have distributed stickers and signs around town and we will try build momentum around the idea, centring on the blue heart symbol as an appreciation of Cavan.”

The appreciation of Cavan about which Tom speaks of is a two-way street. Travelling that street are the businesses and their customers: “There is a new appreciation for supporting local. To a large degree our members want this campaign to express thanks to customers who've been thinking of us.

“From a retail perspective we're in uncharted waters,” Mr Bradys says. “The retail experience is different. Less people are physically going into the shop and browsing. There is a movement towards viewing stock online or 'click-and-collect' options. A number of retailers in Cavan have made this service available to customers and are engaging with a larger online client base.”

The changes brought about by the global pandemic have altered the way people do business in many ways: “We need to communicate with customers. People want to support local and we want to let people know we have more variety. We want to encourage people to engage with local retailers in the online environment.”

Tom says the assistance from the government have been vital for business: “All the supports are very welcome. Any support we get from local or national agencies is great and much appreciated. Simple things, like free parking in town, have been a help to local businesses.

“The Enhanced Restart Grant facility for business and the waiver on rates were tangible efforts to support businesses at a particularly tough time. Every business had expenses when opening up again to allow for social distancing, compliance and cleaning to ensure a safe environment for staff and customers. Our first priority is always the safety and well being of our staff and customers.”

Tough trading

The #LoveCavan campaign will be visible across the town and all Cavan businesses from retail to services will play their part: “We are tapping in to the support we have been show since lockdown finished,” Eddie Coleman, Chamber member and town centre retailer says. “We just want to thank the people for staying local. When you shop local, you keep jobs local.”

Eddie says that trading conditions are tough at present: “It's a little bit quieter at the moment. We just have to take the good with the bad and keep on going. People are very good and they are shopping local.”

The Cavan Gifts proprietor says he's looking to the future: “We are beginning to get our online presence sorted. We're not there yet, but it's something we are working towards.”

The #LoveCavan initiative will draw in as many businesses as possible: “The next step is to follow up with a Facebook campaign using the #LoveCavan and the blue heart. Hopefully all retailers will take part, regardless of Chamber membership, as the campaign builds in the lead-up to Christmas. A number of businesses have been good enough to sponsor a sign,” Chamber president Tom Brady concluded.