New online marketplace launches for local independents

A new online marketplace, designed to make it easier to shop local, is being launched to help support the city’s independent food and drink businesses.

Good Liverpool, which aims to bring some of Merseyside’s best loved independents together on the same retail platform, is the brainchild of local entrepreneur, Alex Frech, who also runs creative agency, Black & Ginger.

Good Liverpool will enable local businesses to run their own virtual stores as part of a bespoke online community, offering everything from artisan produce and tasty treats to everyday essentials. Participating independents will benefit from additional marketing support and in-app Instagram purchasing, while retaining complete control over their product listings and deliveries.

The virtual marketplace is set to become a one-stop-shop for the city’s food and drink lovers, allowing people to shop with all their favourite independents through one website. Shoppers will be able to pick up a wide range of supplies at Good Liverpool from locally grown fruit and veg boxes to craft gins, speciality wines and freshly roasted coffee. Gift vouchers will also be available to buy online, providing a perfect treat for friends who are celebrating a birthday during lockdown.

The new online marketplace will also support the wider community by donating 10 percent of its profits to the city’s food charities during the Covid-19 crisis, including St Andrew’s Community Network, which runs a number of food banks across Liverpool. During the checkout process, shoppers will have the option to add a food bundle to the cart which will be sent directly to a local food bank.

Founder of Good Liverpool, Alex Frech, who is also managing director at creative agency, Black & Ginger, explains: “As a brand agency based in the city’s creative quarter, we’ve seen so many local independents flourish in recent years and we’ve even helped to launch a few of them too. When lockdown forced most of our neighbours to close their doors, my colleagues and I wanted to use our expertise in branding, web design and social media to help support our much loved independents.

“We came up with the concept of a virtual marketplace to help showcase our local food and drink heroes and make it easier for them to trade online. Good Liverpool also aims to simplify the process for consumers, allowing people to shop with different local businesses within the same retail platform. The Good Liverpool business model enables us to run an investable profit back into the platform, while also supporting the wider community by contributing to local food charities.

“Although the idea was inspired by the challenges of lockdown, Good Liverpool is designed to complement the way local independents operate and the platform has been built to last way beyond the current situation. We’ve already had a fantastic response from the local food and drink industry and we’re looking forward to adding more of our favourite independents to the online marketplace over the coming weeks.”

Businesses already featured on the Good Liverpool retail platform include the Baltic Triangle’s Greens for Good, 92 Degrees Coffee, The Botanical Garden, local wine merchant, Pruno Wines, and Free State Kitchen.

Kate Hughes, owner of Free State Kitchen, said: “Good Liverpool is an excellent concept which aims to make a real difference to local independent businesses as well as the wider community.

“As a local business owner, I am thrilled to be on board and I am very much looking forward to seeing the retail platform grow. I am confident Good Liverpool will be a big hit with those who choose to shop local and I am sure the platform will continue to be a success long after the lockdown restrictions are lifted.”

Local independent businesses can register for an online store with Good Liverpool by emailing hello@goodliverpool.com.

Follow @good_liverpool on Instagram or visit www.goodliverpool.com to keep updated on the latest news.

New online marketplace launches for local independents

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