Kilkenny company pushing campaign to help local businesses during recovery

A Kilkenny business is the driving force behind a campaign to get people to champion local business enticing people to keep business local in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kilkenny Design is behind the Champion Green’s ‘All Rise’ national movement, aimed at driving the renewal of local communities, reinvigoration of local enterprise, and local economic recovery.

Champion Green has a green butterfly symbol as its emblem, representing growth and prosperity as we emerge from our cocoon, organisers say.

Kilkenny Design, supported by Visa in association with Retail Excellence Ireland, the Small Firms Association and Chambers Ireland, the Champion Green movement is about simple ways everyone can make a difference.

The campaign hope to encourage the public to shop locally to help businesses in the community bounce back from the impact of the coronavirus. More than 280,000 people nationwide are employed in the retail sector, having a huge impact on the local economy of each town and city in Ireland.

Kilkenny Design’s CEO, Marian O’Gorman who created the campaign says the campaign comes at a crucial time for thousands of businesses across the country.

“This is a drive to encourage people to do business locally, and for businesses and organisations to up their support for local suppliers too.

“We all need to get behind Irish brands and businesses, and use local services, for the sake of jobs and national prosperity,” Ms O’Gorman said.

The Champion Green campaign provides a digital hub of resources for businesses and service providers to signal that they are locally owned or employ locally, and to call out products and brands designed or made in Ireland.