BUSINESS bosses are urging people to shop local this Easter.

Retailers who spoke to the East Anglian Daily Times yesterday said they had not been adversely affected by the cold weather, but would always call for more support.

Ian George, who owns Curiosity Corner in Lavenham, said: “Lavenham is very tourist-based. On the days the weather hasn’t been too bad we have had a few visitors, but obviously not the same amount of visitors as last year. The weather was really warm this time last year.”

But he said his shop had not been significantly affected because its stock included specialist goods, for example teddy bears, which are bought by collectors.

“We see this year as a positive year invariably,” he said. “We can only go up from where we are now. We just need the weather to change for the days we need them, really.”

In Bury St Edmunds, the owners of Butterworths health food shop and Scarlet Shoes, both in the Traverse, also said they had not been adversely affected by the cold blast.

Trevor Barrett, who runs Butterworths with his wife Margaret, said people always needed to buy food, adding they were selling lots of vitamin D3, which is known as the sunshine vitamin.

And Kate Palliser, who owns Scarlet Shoes, said diversifying into clothing and accessories had “really helped” and because they sold footwear like UGG boots all year round “we are always prepared for an English summer”.

She said: “We thought retail was going to be tough anyway so a bit of diversification is always good.”

Paul Clement, chief executive of Ipswich Central, which is the town centre Business Improvement District (BID), said he was not sure whether the bad weather would significantly disrupt trade.

He said people might not currently be out buying their spring and summer clothing, but they would do eventually.

“They are not buying the products you would expect them to buy at this time of year,” he said.

Mark Cordell, chief executive of Bid4Bury, believed a number of businesses in the town had realised “they just cannot afford to put all their eggs in one basket”.

“Buy Bury, buy local,” he added.