The chairman of the Croydon branch of the Federation of Small Businesses is backing Friends of the Earth's Shop Local First campaign.
The environmental pressure group has launched a campaign to protect local shops and the environment by reducing the number of trips taken in cars to out of town supermarkets.
Peter Kaminski, chairman of the Croydon branch of the federation, said: "Unless people appreciate the service, flexibility and unique selling points of their local small shops they will be lost forever."
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