Independence put the ‘i’ in Nisa – and it is backing this weekend’s promotion

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Nisa is getting behind the national campaign to support and promote independent retailers in the UK this weekend.

The Scunthorpe-headquartered delivered wholesale operation – founded as the Northern Independent Supermarkets Association – is playing a key part in UK Independents’ Day.

A targeted social media campaign will support and celebrate retailers and the role they play in communities. It will seek to educate consumers about their relevance.

Head of retail at Nisa, Victoria Lockie, has worked in the independent sector for more than 30 years. She said: “It’s important we support campaigns like this because it links with our purpose and is why we’re here today.

“Nisa was founded to support and help independent retailers to thrive and that is still true to this day.

“We’ve seen how incredibly versatile and agile Nisa partners and indeed all independent retailers are in the ways they’ve responded to the Covid crisis and found solutions to any number of problems that have come their way.

“UK Independents’ Day is a great opportunity to raise awareness, celebrate and express our gratitude to independent retailers for the fantastic contribution they make to communities everywhere.”

Nisa is now the name on or behind 4,000 convenience stores nationwide – owned by a staggering 1,400 shopkeeping entrepreneurs – but it all began with a hardware store in a densely populated area of Grimsby.

An example of the digital assets being made available by Nisa. (Image: Nisa) An example of the digital assets being made available by Nisa. (Image: Nisa)

The retail adventure spanning three generations started with Ron Ramsden’s eponymous post-war shop, close to the then thriving fish docks.

Son Dudley joined the business and formed the Northern Independent Supermarkets Association with Peter Garvin, building on a wholesale start-up.

That late Seventies meeting of minds saw buying power of hundreds of convenience stores united in a co-operative, only for The Co-operative to then swoop and buy it in a £137.5 million deal in 2018, with the business generating a turnover of £1.45 billion.

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The Ramsden family remains rooted in retail, with third generation Nick involved with wholesale and convenience in Grimsby, and brother Sean heading up a major grocery export business.

Nisa has produced a range of digital assets for partners to use on their own channels and help promote independence with their own customers. Business Live publisher Reach Plc is also playing an active role.

It has also teamed up with the event organisers and created videos featuring Nisa partner Jack Matthews who runs Bradley’s of Quorn, Leicestershire, with his father and brother. In it he explains the relevance and value of independent retail.