Localise: The New High Street In Your Hands

Award winning mobile app Localise, today announced the raise of half a million pounds in seed capital from private investors, during the most uncertain time in recent UK history. The funding during the COVID-19 pandemic, underpins the nation’s overwhelming desire to support the UK’s independent retailers; the heartbeat of our communities.

Pre-revenue Localise has a compelling management team and investor network, notably including Lord Stanley Fink. Following the sizeable seed investment, Localise aims to level the playing field for indies through its app which enables small businesses to establish a digital presence in the community and connect with local shoppers. The investment will be used to further the company’s technology and marketing efforts as they roll out across the UK later this year. Localise is in talks with a number of national membership organisations such as the British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA), who are staunch supporters of the British high street and welcome new and innovative solutions to boost the UK’s local economies.

Localise brings its app to indies and shoppers as the lockdown eases and the public begin to steadily return to our high streets. For independent retailers, Localise offers simplified e-commerce tools and an intuitive interface that makes online selling a social affair. In a marketplace currently dominated by larger corporations, Localise seeks to increase the number of smaller businesses that can now be part of the digital community. Providing payments, flash promotions, live feeds and footfall insights, the team at Localise believe indies will truly have a strong helping hand in the nationwide effort to regenerate the high street and revitalise local economies.

For shoppers, Localise brings locally sourced products and services directly to their smartphones, delivering a premium shopping experience that supports their local community. Shoppers can earn commission for helpful suggestions and receive rewards that can be redeemed at independent retailers and small businesses in the local area. At a time when many of the high street traders are struggling to reach customers, Localise will bridge the gap between local shopping and digital commerce.

Founder and CEO of Localise, Ashleigh Cornelius, commented; “Localise has been a complete labour of love for me, however securing our funding, especially at this challenging time, truly reinforces what we are working to achieve. Behind every business on the high street is a real person, with a story to tell and a service to offer. We want Localise to bring all of these characters together to form a strong and robust marketplace where we can support them and showcase the best our communities have to offer.”

Localise co-founder and CTO Clive Brett, commented: “We are excited to deliver an incredibly user-friendly app that will appeal to small businesses up and down the UK as they adapt to social distancing restrictions in their stores. The need to compete online with large corporates has never been greater”.

Investor and shareholder, Lord Fink, commented: “There is an urgent need to rejuvenate our high streets and I see the Localise app as being very instrumental in this goal. Supporting local, individual retailers and showcasing them and their products will encourage local shopping and provide these businesses with the ability to compete with larger retailers. This will ultimately make our highstreets a great place to shop again. Localise is an exciting business and one I am proud to back.”

Head of Research at Shore Capital, Clive Black, commented; “There has never been a stronger spotlight on local retailers and the impact of COVID-19, has highlighted the importance of championing our independent traders, and the crucial role they play in supporting local communities across the UK. Localise comes at a pivotal point, with businesses set to reopen in the coming weeks under social distancing guidelines meaning lower footfalls, providing a much-needed online platform for them to reconnect with consumers and reinvigorate their businesses.”

Localise is currently in its final stage of development, with the data platform and app scheduled for early release in August. Localise will be available on both iOS and Android.