The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) has launched a new
platform that hopes to aid independent retailers in their pandemic
recovery.
Set to launch for customers in February 2022, Neartoo will act as a
national trading platform to provide retailers with a new way of selling
online, with the goal of helping them to build their presence both locally
and nationally.
It will be exclusively available to indies and promises to operate at a
lower sales commission than its competitors. Each retailer will have its
own profile that will allow them to maintain personal relationships with
other retailers and consumers.
Its launch comes as the pandemic presented a difficult atmosphere for
independents and also falls in line with the increasing consumer trend of
shopping locally.
“The pandemic has accelerated shopping behaviours, with more use of the
internet and people also shopping more locally,” commented Bira’s CEO,
Andrew Goodacre, in a news release. “This platform, owned by independents,
addresses both of those societal changes and will allow these retailers…
