There are signs that it is. Can this development be hastened by the simple adoption by independents of the various ethical and social responsibility issues which politicians are keen to embrace. The answer seems to be in the positive. Social responsibility, green issues and community are strongly linked as many independents are finding that they can use these aspects of contemporary life to drive sales.

Keith Hill, MP for Streatham, visited the Best-one shop owned by Steve Robinson during National Independents' Week. He was able to see at first hand just how Steve and his business partner Robert Shaw are closely involved with their local community. To put it bluntly, Steve and Robert are the best election agents that Mr Hill can possibly have - they have a 24/7 interface with local electors which the MP one day will call on to return him to the House of Commons.

By showing support for the store Mr Hill was ensuring that Steve and Robert would mention his visit to their customers - and mention it in a positive tone.

Leicester MP Edward Garnier visited the Londis store of Raj Aggarwal - and so did the Mayor - during NIW. James Plaskett MP joined in the 25-year celebrations at the Londis store of Sunder Sandher, in Leamington Spa, during NIW.

HAZEL BLEARS A SUPPORTER

Salford MP Hazel Blears lives in the constituency where she was born and knows every blade of grass - there are bits - in it. Elected in 1997, she is a former chairman of the Labour Party.

She has announced her support for small shops with planning rules which will give local councils the job of assessing the impact of any new retail development on existing businesses.

"We believe small shops are the heart of town centres and local communities," said the minister, embracing the "c" word in true MSYS style.

WALK & SHOP

The MSYS Walk & Shop initiative, which was trialled during NIW, encourages consumers to ditch the car and shop local to reduce carbon emissions and indulge in some exercise be it non-too exerting. This is a concept which ticks all the boxes - support for local shops, reduction of carbon footprints and the promotion of exercise as the obesity issue gains more ground and publicity.

Statistics were gathered during NIW from many local stores where shoppers signed up to give the distance they had walked from home. These mileages are now being analysed to give some substance to the concept.

European Union officials are backing moves to encourage more shoppers to walk to their local shops instead of jumping into a car to drive to a supermarket.

STOP WASTING FOOD

It was Prime Minister Brown who clearly implied that it was the superstores with their bogofs and other promotional gimmicks who were partly responsible for the average family in the UK throwing away food worth £480 every year.

Buy one get one free incentives, multi packs of fruit and vegetables, banded items and similar ideas seduce shoppers into buying more food than their families need in any given period and much of this, scandalously, ends up in the waste bin.

Buying locally two or three times a week enables shoppers to control their food purchases to meet the immediate needs of their family. With homes wasting an average of £8 a week in thrown away food, the incentive to shop locally is a money saving idea in addition to one which supports local economies.

BAGS FOR LIFE

Wholesalers are now provided re-usable shopping bags as an increasing number of consumers support the move to ban free plastic shopping bags.

The MSYS campaign inspired the move to providing independents with "bags for life" with its attractive prototype design with the slogan 'I Am An Independent Person' which is still available for least-cost high volume purchases with wholesalers clubbing together to buy.

Re-usable bags will be a normal part of shopping in the future as the green principles behind the banning of free plastic bags become increasingly acceptable as the norm by consumers.

DRINK AWARE

The issues about the availability of alcohol to youngsters and the damage it can do to them and to those with whom they come in contact will not go away. It's a community issue which fits MSYS like a glove.

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=== eight msys golden local principles ===

The daily interface which the local retailer has with their customers - most retailers know most of their customers by name - is the most efficient platform to communicate the advantages of the 'shop local' concept.

These are the main MSYS principles ­- a package or a menu for local involvement:

1. Stop Throwing Food Away: shop local, buy what you need, stop waste.

Gordon Brown has implied that bogofs and similar incentives in superstores encourage housewives to buy more than they need - and then throw food away.

2. Shop local: ditch the car, think global, cut emissions. This ticks the green and health issues, cutting carbon emissions and encouraging exercise,

3. Bags For Life: a developing issue. As the anti-free plastic bag movement grows, the re-usable shopping bag will become the norm.

4. DrinkAware: local shops and responsible retailing. Small shops are tired of being demonised as the source of alcohol for youngsters. MSYS is the best platform for putting the responsible retailing message across in a community context.

5. Community support: watch out for people, help the elderly and the vulnerable. Independents "living over the shop" are part and parcel of the local community and their stores are a focal point in the neighbourhood.

6. Micro-marketing: stock what people want. Every store is different. There is no one-size fits all. Stock what people want.

7. Truly local: produce from the area. Local means local in this context.

8. Community involvement: support local activities, sports clubs, old folks' homes, school events. Know your local councillors, engage with the local MP. Know your local police and community support officers, know how to contact local social services.

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=== DITCH THE CAR, SHOP LOCAL ===

During National Independents' Week, the MSYS campaign implemented a pilot test, supported by retailers throughout the UK, with the objective of measuring carbon emission savings when people walked to their local shops to buy their grocery needs.

MSYS is leading its trade Walk & Shop campaign with the slogan Think Global, Shop Local. The data from the test is now being measured and analysed but top line figures demonstrate that shopping locally will cut carbon emissions very substantially.

Campaigners believe the data will motivate increased footfall for independents as environmental issues become more important.

The message coming from the test will have a positive impact on the community culture of the act of shopping locally - there are benefits for the consumer who has clear anxieties about global warming and there are trading benefits for the wholesalers' retail customers.

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