A NORTH-EAST town’s independent retailers were out in force on Thursday (July 4) to mark the third annual Independents’ day, writes Graham Corking.

Darlington retailers ranging from a fancy dress shop to a restaurant offering classic English meals, the shop owners were in a great mood as they celebrated their independence.

One of Darlington’s oldest independent retailers, Geoffrey Gillow and his son William were there to join in celebrations.

Geoffrey Gillow, who is 93, retired 33 years ago, but is still passionate about independent shops, saying: “To survive this long you have to give some value for money and good service so people keep coming back.”

William Gillow added: “In this economic climate, things can only get better. When we started, the country was in a slump but we looked after our customers and we’re still here.”

The event, which is organised by The National Skills Academy for Retail, aims to highlight the importance of independent shops and urges shoppers to try buy locally rather than spend their cash in the national chains.

Distinct Darlington has been flying the flag for independent stores in the town and the company’s manager, Alex Hirst has been showing her support for the day.

Mrs Hirst said:”With such a variety of independent retailers in Darlington, today is a perfect way for shoppers to discover something different that they may not find in national stores.”

Independent retailers make a large percentage of retail businesses in the UK and almost half of Darlington’s shops are independent.