Wholesalers working with the My Shop Is Your Shop (MSYS) campaign will soon have a creative promotional platform on which their independent retailers can link up with their local Premiership and Football League clubs.
As ProWholesaler went to press, a forum was being held at Luton Town Football Club, to hammer out a model for future development of a community involvement programme.
It was attended by independent retailers from the Luton area and club officials with the objective of demonstrating to retailers the value of using local league football as a footfall motivator on a community basis.
Addressed by Alan Toft, chairman of MSYS, and Graham Shelley, IMA Group managing director, the meeting debated how MSYS and the Football in the Community (FITC) scheme run by the Professional Footballers' Association had parallel interests in helping community interests.
The concept of linking the national sport more closely with independent retailers was created by the FWD PR Action Group (PRAG) which drives the MSYS campaign.
Toft said: "We are setting out to motivate closer links between sole traders and family businesses and league football.
"Local club star players will be helping to promote football obviously, but also promoting community causes."
Local independent retailer Kishor Patel, a Nisa-Today's member, is a loyal supporter of Luton Town and promotes his business by advertising in the club's match programmes and fixture lists.
He helped to organise the meeting at the club working with Stuart Smith, Luton Town FC community officer.
l A full report on the recommendations which emerged from the meeting will be published in the next issue of ProWholesaler.
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- 27 November, 2008
FWD Annual Dinner & Gold Medal Awards
