A new national campaign has been launched to help drive the renewal of local communities and to reinvigorate local enterprise and economic recovery amid the Covid-19 crisis.
Champion Green aims to encourage the public to shop locally to help businesses in the community bounce back from the impact of the coronavirus.
The new campaign is supported by Kilkenny Design and Visa, in association with Retail Excellence, the Small Firms Association and Chambers Ireland.
Marian O'Gorman, the creator of the campaign and Kilkenny Design's CEO, said the country needs to get behind Irish brands and businesses, and use local services, for the sake of jobs and national prosperity.
The advertising and public information campaign provides a digital hub of resources for businesses and service-providers to show that they are locally owned or employ locally, and to call out products and brands designed or made in Ireland.
The SFA's Sven Spollen-Behrens said that with most businesses now reopened, consumers should use the coming weeks as an opportunity to focus on shopping local, buying Irish and supporting local businesses, online and in-store.
"If each adult spent just €20 extra in small businesses each week for the next 12 weeks, this would amount to an injection of over €875m into the local economy and would have a huge, positive impact on jobs and the vibrancy of towns and local communities," he stated.
Philip Konopik, Ireland Country Manager at Visa, said the new campaign comes at a crucial time for thousands of businesses across the country that form the backbone of the Irish economy.
"Where you shop matters and this is more important than ever before as businesses at the heart of communities across Ireland grapple with the challenges of the pandemic. Their survival will be key to the recovery of the Irish economy," he added.
Jean McCabe, Deputy Chair of Retail Excellence, said that while Covid-19 has had a devastating impact on the economy, Irish industry is facing other battles too, including a possible hard Brexit, the rise of global online platforms and weaker consumer sentiment.
"Now more than ever, we need to get into the hearts and minds of Irish people and leverage Irish pride and responsibility, as a means to sustain livelihoods. 280,000 people are employed in the retail sector in Ireland alone, so, for the sake of jobs and local investment, Champion Green will hopefully be widely embraced," Jean McCabe added.
