THE Mayor of Worcester is urging the public to "shop local" this Christmas and support the city's entrepreneurial independent retailers.

Cllr Roger Knight took a festive tour around a number of local independents to find out how they are faring in the face of competition from online retailers and chain stores.

He said: "I believe our independent shops helped Worcester bounce back from the recession more quickly than many other cities. Festive shoppers like coming to Worcester because they know they’ll find something unique and very special in these shops. We are very lucky to have such a fantastic array of independent retailers in the city, and it is good to see that they are thriving at this important time of year.”

Among the businesses visited was Knowles Sports in Broad Street, where owner Rick Knowles said: "We are now the only independent sports shop in Worcester. I believe that our commitment to customer service and product knowledge have helped us to thrive as a business, although Christmas isn’t generally the busiest for us, our peak period is more in the run-up to the school term starting in September, but we still have lots of sports bargains in store."

At the New England Country Store, also in Broad Street, the mayor met owner Rachel Evans, who said: "We start creating this special Christmas section in our store in September, and it closes in January. We try and make it really inspirational. Lots of our regular customers really look forward to its opening."

At Peplows Jewellers in High Street, once of the oldest family firms in the city, Francis Peplow, explained, "We believe the secret to our longevity lies in providing excellent service and products and exciting and inspiring collections. We have built long term relationships with local customers, in some cases across several generations of their respective families. Our staff can provide everything from advice on buying an engagement ring to servicing that precious Rolex watch."

While in Reindeer Court, Chris Marks, owner of recently opened gifts and homeware shop Iapetus, said: "We felt Reindeer Court was the right home for our business. By January it is expected that every single unit in the Court will be filled by a retailer. All our items have been handmade by talented artists with love, care and a good dose of quirkiness. Eighty per cent of our products have been made in the UK and we have hundreds of original present ideas, including handmade jewellery, homeware and paintings."