Rural shoppers are spending more in rural shops and building increasingly meaningful relationships with store owners, the ACS’ 2022 Rural Shops Report reveals.
Average basket spend in rural shops climbed to £8.72 in 2021, up from £7.92 the year before, with the average basket size rising from 2.6 items to 3, the annual ACS report shows.
Just under 20% of all rural shoppers also now claim to know their local retailers “very well” or “quite well” (32%) – both of which are up on 2020 figures.
The 2022 report also highlights the increasingly active role that rural stores are playing within their communities, with 84% having engaged in community activity in 2021 and 58% of rural retailers agreeing that the Covid-19 pandemic had improved the standing of their business in the community.
Rural shoppers also ranked convenience stores first and ahead of pharmacies, Post Offices, pubs and banks when asked which business had the most positive impact on the local area – proof, the ACS said, that rural stores were now “more relevant to their communities than ever before.”
