The town has been hit by the blows of losing big name retailers like Woolworths with Marks and Spencer and T&G Allan to follow shortly.

But Whitley Bay has a wide selection of independent shops remaining, with those owners now looking to fight back against the current recession by building on the already good shopping experience.

Members of Whitley Bay Chamber of Trade have agreed to start a campaign not only encouraging people to use the town centre shops but thanking them for their custom.

Banners are due to go up in and around the town – including Monkseaton, Cullercoats, Tynemouth, and Earsdon – while a marketing campaign could follow, such as window posters and leaflets.

Karen Goldfinch, of Made to Treasure, in Whitley Road, said there were still some people unaware of the selection of shops in the town and it was up to the traders to change that.

She said: "There are some great ideas in the future but we need something now.

"I go out to wedding fairs, we push the town, but there are times when I get told there is nothing in Whitley Bay, you can't get parked, there's nothing left.

"We need to do things instantly. We need to push a positive image.
"We know there are shops going, it's the same in every town, but we have some cracking independent businesses.

"We need to be together on this and promote the town."

Mrs Goldfinch also said traders should look further afield to bring customers in as she was helping an Irish woman plan her wedding as it was cheaper to fly from Ireland to Newcastle, buying her items in
Whitley Bay, than it was to buy them in Ireland.

"We're looking at promoting our business in Ireland," she told the chamber. "We would never have thought of going as far a field as that."

The chamber also called on empty retail units, such as the former Woolworths and Co-op stores, to be brought back into use but not necessarily as a shop.

Chairman Alan Moses said: "It's common place up and down the country where there are empty shops but there must be something we can do to help fill those."

Potential ideas for temporary use of the empty units include an indoor market, cinema, a service and information shop, a base for some college courses, community facilities for youngsters and the elderly, and a creche so parents could go shopping.

But the idea which got the biggest backing was using the former Woolworths store as a new library, hopefully with finances made available to buy the nearby land behind the Coliseum and using that as a car park.

Mr Moses added: "The big stores like Woolworths, we should be getting services into the town."

Traders also questioned whether the council could hand over the units on the lower promenade at the seafront to interested parties, only charging a small peppercorn rent.