The words ‘shop local’ are more than important in these testing times for local businesses. With the COVID-19 affecting many businesses over the last few months. Last week non-essential shops began to open up again with social distancing measures in place.
Andover has a brilliant array of local businesses, and many have adapted to continue operating to provide their products and services to customers.
Here at Love Andover we are passionate about our town and the many businesses in it. We always want people to shop local where possible and we want to provide local businesses the opportunity to promote themselves with us.
As part of our partnership with the BID, we are giving away £35,000 worth of advertising to 70 local businesses in the BID area.
The Money Guy, Adam Phillips is working with these businesses to help save money and has successfully saved many businesses in the area thousands of pounds.
We have dispatched Adam into the High Street to talk to these businesses finding out how they are now operating. Adam visited Ben’s Quality Dry Cleaners up Union Street.
Ben tells Adam about how they are operating a contactless collection and delivery service and that he wanted to thank everyone for the support he has received, read below as Adam visited and spoke to Ben Walton.
When Adam met Ben:
As I walk towards Ben’s, there’s a customer having a chat to business owner, Ben Walton. A fairly typical friendly scene for this business. Ben is well known for his warm character, charitable activities and amazing shirts, including, this wonderful Sylvester and Tweety Pie shirt!
I spoke to Ben about how he was, what he had planned for the future and how he’s had to change his business model…
Ben says“We’re looking to build up our collection and delivery service it’s something we’ve done for years and years, but now, as people aren’t looking to come into the town centre, we can come and pick the items up, pick up and drop off, it can be a no contact collection and delivery service as well, we can pick it up and drop it off from their doorstep and invoice them at the end of the month so there’s no cash or cheques and keeps things truly contactless.
“We’re really happy to back open we’ve had to change our opening hours from 10am until 3pm, Monday to Friday 9-12pm on a Saturday. All services are the same although it is taking slightly longer, because we’re having to wait 48 hours minimum to process anything.
So we’ll collect the goods, keep the items wrapped for a minimum 48 hours (as the virus dies off after 48 hours), this is to ensure that the rest of the clothes are protected, my staff are protected and of course, my customers are protected too. As you can see, we’ve made some additions to the store, including this transparent plastic, in order to aid shielding, apart from that it’s back to (relative) normality“.
Ben’s Quality Dry Cleaning has been established since 2003, located just off the High Street (4 Union Street, SP10 1PA) – If you need any dry cleaning done, Ben is your man!
To get in contact and to get your items dry cleaned – email andoverdrycleaners@outlook.com or Call the company direct 01264 352684 additonally, you can book a collection on the website
