Calls for people to shop local in Whitby to boost footfall and economy
The cost of living crisis is affecting businesses
A Whitby restaurant owner is calling for people to shop local to help boost the economy in the town.
It is as the cost of living crisis is affecting footfall for businesses with many fearing winter this year.
Lois Kirtlan runs Hetty and Betty and she said: "Whitby is a very special place in that it's very much made up of independent. We don't have a McDonalds, we don't have these large chains and so they are small, independent businesses. We do find that our client base is quite loyal. The local community are local because they either work in the industry or they have family in the industry so they do support.
"Prices have had to increase. There's no which way about it and it does affect our footfall because we might see somebody everyday, they come in for a coffee etc, they might come in twice a day, we're now only seeing them once everyday or once every few days. It does affect Whitby.
"Whitby is very popular as a retirement area so these are people on fixed incomes, so these are people who are drawing a pension so it's not as though their wages are going up or anything like that. It does affect them as well and obviously being on the North Sea in the winter, it gets a bit chilly.
"We're running at the moment in terms of our current turnover at about a four percent loss. We're yet to go into the summer so when we get to the full season that will give us the true picture. In January and February, we ran at a 12 percent loss of income."