Small, local retailers outperformed national chains during the holiday season, especially in cities that have “Buy Local” campaigns, according to a national survey by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. The survey showed that independent retailers saw sales increase 2.2 percent in the holiday season compared to last year, outpacing the slight downturn of 0.3 percent for retailing over all in December. In addition, independent retailers in cities with “buy local” marketing campaigns experienced a 3.0 percent sales growth. Both Oakland and Berkeley have active “buy local” efforts.
TRENDING: