NEWS RELEASE
THE COUNTY OF SIMCOE
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MIDHURST – In a move to further support local small and medium-sized business, the County has joined ShopHERE powered by Google, a collaboration between Digital Main Street, Google, Shopify, Mastercard and Microsoft, to build and optimize online stores in a matter of days.
“It is exciting to see this important program receive additional support, allowing even more local independent businesses to develop an increased online presence,” said Warden George Cornell.
“Even as more and more small and medium sized businesses begin to reopen to the public with safety measures in place, it’s important that we provide additional support to assist our businesses in recovering from the pandemic, while adapting and diversifying their business models for the future.”
The ShopHERE program compliments the county’s investment in Digital Service Squads which provides up to 10 hours of free one-on-one coaching to businesses from a team of highly trained professionals. The investment in Digital Service Squads was based on staff recommendations from the analysis of the county’s Business Impact Surveys completed by local businesses in relation to urgent COVID-19 needs.
The ShopHERE program is now available to small businesses across the County of Simcoe. Interested parties can apply for the program by visiting www.digitalmainstreet.ca/shophere for an opportunity to have their online store built at no-cost.
For more information about Digital Service Squads, please visit https://edo.simcoe.ca/Pages/COVID-19-Government-Supports.aspx.
About Digital Main Street and Beyond
Digital Main Street and Beyond is a program and service that helps businesses achieve digital transformation. The program is built around an online learning platform, structured training programs, and a Digital Service Squad, a team of highly trained professionals who help businesses grow and manage their operations through technology.
About ShopHERE powered by Google
The ShopHERE program offers businesses and artists the opportunity to build a digital presence and minimize the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The County of Simcoe is composed of 16 member municipalities and provides crucial public services to County residents in addition to providing paramedic and social services to the separated cities of Barrie and Orillia. Visit our website at simcoe.ca.
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