Localito has Been Featured in MSN
MSN featured Localito founder Lee Berrow after his small business collapsed under Amazon price pressure. From his kitchen table in Altrincham, he built Localito.com — Manchester's independent marketplace now supporting 350+ local businesses with QR pickup, Etsy integration and fair fees.
After losing everything, I sat at my kitchen table and created 'the anti-Amazon'
In December 2024, I reached my breaking point. My small computer hardware business in Altrincham went from selling 60 memory sticks a month to just two — Amazon sellers were undercutting me by a few quid.
"That's when I thought, this is just not going to work. I can't do this anymore," — I told the Manchester Evening News
I wound the business up. But sitting at my kitchen table, I couldn't just accept it. I started sketching what would become Localito.com — Manchester's answer to saving the high street.
What is Localito?
I call it the anti-Amazon. It's not about hating tech — it's about putting independents first:
- Fair commission, instant payouts, no hidden fees
- 350+ Greater Manchester businesses already live
- QR code pickup — buy online, collect in-store to drive real footfall
- Cashback points on every purchase
- Free Etsy integration — import your entire Etsy shop in one click
Read the full feature on MSN here: After losing everything, he sat at his kitchen table and created 'the anti-Amazon'
I proved demand before I built it
Between October and January I ran a waitlist. 612 local businesses signed up before Localito even launched in January. That's how I knew it wasn't just my problem.
It's already working
Simon Hepburn from Share Your Story in Altrincham told the MEN his biggest camera sale this year came from Localito:
"We've always been very keen to be face-to-face, and this means we can be face-to-face across Manchester."
That's the whole point — small shops don't rank on Google, but together on Localito they get the visibility of the big platforms.
What's next: Manchester Day
On Sunday 26 July, our mascots Loca & Lito will be in Manchester city centre for our 'Amazon receipt swap' — show a recent Amazon or Deliveroo receipt and get £20 Localito credit to spend locally.
My advice
Do your market research. Test demand. But then just start.
"You're never going to get anywhere if you don't try. The first step is giving it a go."
I lost my old business. I can't change that. But if Localito helps hundreds of others avoid the same fate, all the late nights have been worth it.
Shop 350+ Manchester independents now at Localito.com — or sell on Localito for free.
Originally published by the Manchester Evening News, 16 June 2026. Read on MSN.