Virgin Trains to invest £100,000 in Preston business

Virgin Trains has invited local Preston entrepreneurs to take part in its nationwide POP-UP scheme on 6th December at Preston Station.

Taking to the platform from 9am to 3pm to sell its unique array of products will be All About Cheese, Heritage Kitchen Preserves, Crossmoor Honey Farm and Made In Preston who will join 90 different companies popping up between London Euston and Carlisle, as part of Virgin Trains’ largest POP-UP event to date.

The Virgin Trains’ POP-UP initiative aims to support local businesses by offering them the chance to gain extra exposure, increased interest and larger footfall and is part of a wider business initiative. As part of this, Virgin Trains has decided to host a POP-UP event on Small Business Saturday, a nationwide campaign supported by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), which encourages people to show their support for independent businesses by choosing to visit local stores year round.

On the same day, Virgin Trains will be supporting an on-board First Class networking event between Preston and Carlisle for 40 members of the FSB. This is the first FSB networking event of its kind on a train, and the service is being offered to entrepreneurs by Virgin Trains complete with afternoon tea provided by The Sharrow Bay hotel.

Nicola Griffiths, POP-UP business manager at Virgin Trains, said: “We’re delighted to be inviting Heritage Kitchen Preserves to not only take part in our latest POP-UP scheme, but also reap the benefits of the £100,000 worth of investment we’ll be using to offer ongoing support for local businesses across the nation. We’re committed to supporting the local business communities in all the areas we operate in and being able to run these events on Small Business Saturday is a great way for us to encourage consumers to support their local stores.”