By Anthony Murphy, Guest Editor

THE last few years have seen a number of small independent businesses make a name for themselves in Hereford.

The food industry has been particularly successful with Shack Revolution, Cellar Door and Rule of Tum among those to open their doors to diners.

I, along with a group of friends, started the Beefy Boys restaurant on the Old Market and I believe there are a number of factors which have made Hereford a fantastic place to start a business.

The rents, for example, are relatively low compared to other cities.

Plus, from a personal perspective, as Hereford was the town in which we all grew up, we had a large networks of friends to help spread the word of what we were doing.

One of the great things about starting a business in your hometown is you already have a strong local knowledge and an understanding of the city and what may or may not work.

It's also easier in a smaller city to make a name for yourself and also make mistakes (which all new businesses will).

It's a great chance to road test your concept and see what works with out the pressure of the massive rent and rates of a major city.

It was only a few years ago that you could count on one hand the places to go for a meal in Hereford.

Now, of course, you are spoilt for choice and a large part of that choice is made from top quality local independents.

I can’t remember a time in my life where there has been so many independent cafes, restaurants and businesses in the city centre.

The rise of the internet and online shopping has had a huge effect on city centres not just locally but nationally as more and more of us shop online instead of in town so we may all need to rethink about how we use our city centres and what their purpose and ambitions are.

Perhaps as big retail moves further away from physical shops and stores and more towards online, our traditional city centres will move more towards local independent shops, bars cafes and restaurants.

I, for one, certainly hope this is the case.