Since March, life has changed exponentially and we probably wouldn’t have survived if our local community didn’t support independent business. As we come out of lockdown only to potentially enter another one, we’ve been reflecting on the last six months.

DURING LOCKDOWN

For Lightfoot Wines, lockdown was an opportunity to really make a good impression with the local community. We aimed to be as competitive as supermarkets, more convenient than Amazon and really smash it. We didn’t even have a minimum spend for free delivery. It was genuinely all about providing the best service possible. On a couple of occasions we even got bread and milk for customers.  We were happy to do it if it made people’s live’s a little bit easier.

I’m humbled to say that our efforts were incredibly well received. We set up a review platform in February, and at the time of writing, we have 105 reviews on Trustpilot, 104 of those are 5 stars. It really makes it worth it to read people’s kind comments and know that they appreciate us and the service we provide. It really was the support an independent business needs.

During lockdown, many people said they felt good that they were supporting local businesses. I was regularly told “You’re my main wine guy now” and “Now we know you’re here, we’ll always use you from now on”. It was nice to hear but we always knew that we would see a decline once supermarkets became more convenient.

POST LOCKDOWN

One thing that has surprised us is the sheer amount of people who have left us over the last couple of months. It’s quite sad because we broke our backs over lockdown. There’s only two of us who run Lightfoot Wines day-to-day and we were open seven days a week (we still are). Judging from our feedback, we haven’t seemed to put a foot wrong, so it’s confusing and hard to understand how/why we’ve been dropped by so many people in such a short space of time.

Having said this, we have retained some brilliant new customers and we are extremely appreciative of the continued support from our regular clients. It’s down to these amazing people why we get to do what we love everyday.

With all this in mind, I thought it’d be a good idea to compile a list of what makes our business special. These are our five reasons to support independent businesses.

1. We’re Experts In What We Do

I hate to brag, but between the two of us we know a lot about wine. We’ve both got certified qualifications from WSET and continue to learn. This is our passion.

Drinking wine, even in the most casual of capacities should be enjoyable and you should get the best experience each time you open a bottle. Recommending wine is our bread and butter. We know what we’re talking about and can cater to your preferred tastes, enhancing your drinking experiences. We regularly post media regarding what we’re drinking and give insights into wine and spirits.

2. We’re Competitively Priced

Our prices start at £5.99 for a 75cl bottle of wine. We have dozens of lines for under £10 and we have the pricier stuff if you’re feeling fancy or celebrating.

3. Visiting Our Shop Is An Experience

We’ve often been referred to as ‘Aladdin’s Cave’ because you can find anything and everything booze related in our shop. Spread over two rooms, we have circa 900 different lines. So, we literally have something for everyone. From Bordeaux style Lebanese red wines, to expressive Moldovan whites, single malt whiskies from Sweden and India, to Pisco, American Cucumber infused vodka or if you fancy keeping it local with a bottle of Gin from Sheffield Distillery or sparkling wine from Renishaw Hall, we have it!

4. We Deliver The Same Day For Free

Providing you live within a 20 minute drive, you can use our free delivery code THNB20. What’s more, if you get your order in before 3pm we will get it to you the same day. So you can order on your lunch break and have a case of wine waiting for you when you arrive at home. Orders for the rest of the UK are shipped through DHL and incur a £9.50 delivery fee, unless they are £100 or more, then in that case the shipping is free of charge!

5. www.Lightfootwines.co.uk

Our website is kept up-to-date and our stock lists are constantly getting updated. The site is also easy to navigate and payments are taken securely via paypal. We also have an instant messenger chat function that goes straight to my phone, so if you have any questions whilst browsing our website you can contact us immediately. The same applies for our messenger functions on Facebook and Instagram.

Instant Messenger at www.lightfootwines.co.uk

THANK YOU FOR READING OUR 5 REASONS TO SUPPORT INDEPENDENT BUSINESS

Lightfoot Wines is an independent wine merchant est 1989. We aim to provide you with products and a level of service not seen in regular shops. We believe that wine should be enjoyed by everyone, feel free to ask us your wine related questions and we will provide you with an answer. All our products are available online, we can deliver anywhere in the UK and shipping is free on orders of £100 ad over! Visit us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter for regular updates and special offers.