Our favourite local shops are on the brink - they need our Christmas spending more than ever

‘If we cannot support our local businesses during this Christmas season, how many of them will survive beyond February?’ asks Stefano Hatfield

I’ve gone early. For years I have argued with my daughters, defending my Scrooge-like decision to wait until mid-December to put the tree up to keep it “special”. But, this weekend, on the first Saturday in December, we were down the road at the fenced-off pop-up for our annualIt is traditionally their busiest day, said the lovely guys who have sold us trees in all weathers for years. This year, their apprehension was tangible.

Whether or not the cost-of-living crisis will impact desperately-needed retail sales is not really the question thisStefano from my local Italian delicatessen sells 5,000 panettones every festive season. Last year he was hit by global supply chain problems. This year, he got his wholesale orders in early. You couldn’t move in the place for the gorgeous, unsold boxes. Come on people, it’s the one food item you really cannot bake better at home. Trust me, I’ve tried.

The local pub which hosted our English department teachers’ dinner was scarcely bursting at the seams for a Friday evening in December either. Where was everybody? They weren’t in the local Westfield shopping centre either. That was surprisingly civilised the next day: a December Saturday.

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