Sagunto shops: FEDER-funded campaign trains retailers and rewards buying local
A campaign funded by the EU's FEDER programme trains Sagunto retailers and rewards purchases in neighbourhood shops. Valencia's Chamber of Commerce runs it with the city council's Commerce and Markets department.
Anyone who buys in a Sagunto neighbourhood shop that has joined the campaign will get incentives and rewards, and the person serving them will go through a training programme. That is the idea behind ‘Un algoritmo te vende, tu vecin@ te atiende’ (‘An algorithm sells to you, your neighbour serves you’), an initiative of the Valencia Chamber of Commerce funded by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) and backed by the Commerce and Markets department of Sagunto City Council.
The campaign works on two fronts at once. The first is the businesses themselves: they receive training to improve their skills, adapt to new buying habits and raise the quality of their service. This year the content centres on customer care and on skills for dealing with young shoppers, who are increasingly used to buying online. Shops that put what they learned into practice will be rewarded with an advertising campaign on social media.
The second front is the consumer. People who buy in the participating shops will have access to incentive and reward schemes, meant to lift sales and keep spending inside the city. The sources do not give dates, the size of the rewards or how shops can sign up.
The presentation took place in the council chamber of Sagunto City Hall. Taking part were the councillor for Commerce and Markets, Natalia Antonino; the Valencian Government's director general for Commerce, Crafts and Consumer Affairs, Maribel Sáez; Victoria Guillén, for the Valencia Chamber of Commerce; and the president of the Sagunto City Retailers' Association, Lola Torrente. Representatives of other retailers' associations in the municipality also attended.
Antonino explained that the slogan defends neighbourhood commerce against impersonal online shopping and pointed to what local shops offer: people, trust, knowledge, closeness and personal service. She added that the council's commitment goes beyond encouraging one-off purchases, because backing local trade means choosing a more cohesive city and livelier neighbourhoods.
Sáez said cooperation between administrations and the retail sector is needed and described local commerce as «the soul of cities». In the director general's view, neighbourhood shops should not compete with digital platforms on price or volume, but on specialisation, knowledge of the customer and good service.
Guillén recalled that the Chamber is again supporting Sagunto commerce with FEDER funds and that this edition focuses on giving shopkeepers tools to deal with consumers, above all younger ones. She said she believes the shopkeeper sells more than the algorithm and voiced confidence in the success of the promotion.
Torrente called the campaign a bet on the future of neighbourhood commerce and on bringing life back to Sagunto's streets. In her view a shop does more than sell products: it creates experiences and relationships built on trust, personal advice and the bond with the customer.
According to Sagunto City Council and elperiodic.com.