Southwold, a perfect answer for strategic marketing. Just returned from this iconic little town, packed to the gunnels with holidaymakers, young, family and old. Key elements in the mix are – Nice clean beach with colourful English beach huts, great pubs and independent shops with hardly a national chain in sight, local products, ( food and craft) and the staff in the hotels and b and bs will tell you all about the shops in the town. They have a discount card to encourage you to browse, the residents come over as a friendly with a pride in their town.
When so many of our towns are scratching their heads about the demise of their town centre, this is an excellent example of a village that knows where it is going. Perhaps helped by a local hero in the form of Adnams Brewery with the vision to keep employment in the town and provide great products. Ok, it is located in the South East but the lessons should hold true for many places.
For more information on this topic of town centre marketing contact russ@rfm.co.uk