Join Indie Putney
Your character.
Our collective reach.
Let’s help more people discover what you do. The pilot is free to join, with a simple first entry and room to add more when you are ready.
What you’re joining
A shared identity and a place to introduce your business, led by Putney independents. Keep your own personality while helping more people discover the neighbourhood.
Who it’s for
Businesses with a genuine Putney trading presence that are independently owned and meaningfully locally shaped.
Start with the essentials
Tell us about your business.
Your business name and public link are enough for a basic entry once participation is confirmed. We can add the rest later.
This is a test of the online joining journey. Live submissions will open when the response owner and retention arrangements are confirmed.
Prototype journey complete
Thank you. That’s all we need.
In the live version, the pilot team would review your details. A confirmed business could appear first with its name and link, with richer content added when ready.
No information entered here has been sent or stored. Live submissions will only open once the pilot group confirms who holds the responses and how long they are kept.
Questions, answered plainly
Independent.
And included?
A fair definition matters. Here is how it applies to franchises, pubs, larger independents and businesses outside the BID levy area.
What is Indie Putney?
Indie Putney is an initiative led by independent businesses, helping people discover, use and support Putney’s independent side. The pilot begins around Upper Richmond Road and welcomes eligible Putney businesses whether or not they take part in the Ice Sculpture Trail.
Is this a Positively Putney project?
No. The pilot is led by independent businesses and is not owned or funded by Positively Putney. Light-touch support is agreed in principle; the details of endorsement, promotion and any use of PP’s name or logo still require written agreement. PP continues to treat all levy-paying businesses fairly.
What is a Putney Independent?
A Putney Independent is a business with a genuine trading presence in Putney that is independently owned and meaningfully locally shaped. It retains material control over its customer experience, products or services, local marketing and community involvement, and does not operate primarily as a standard outlet of a major national or international chain.
Is independent ownership enough on its own?
No. The practical test is whether the business is merely locally operated or meaningfully locally shaped. We will consider where decisions are made, the freedom to shape the offer and customer experience, local character and how the business would reasonably be understood by customers.
Can a franchise take part?
A highly standardised national or international franchise would not normally use the “A Putney Independent” mark, even if its local outlet is independently owned. A local franchise owner can still support shared activity. Borderline cases will be considered consistently rather than decided by legal ownership alone.
What about pubs?
A free house would normally qualify. A tenanted, leased or tied pub can qualify where the local operator carries meaningful risk and shapes the offer, character and community role. A centrally managed chain pub would not normally qualify.
Is there a maximum number of outlets?
There is no arbitrary outlet cap during the pilot. Scale matters, but so do the customer-facing brand, where decisions are made, local autonomy and reasonable customer perception.
Must a business pay the BID levy?
No. An eligible non-levy business may join if it has customer-facing premises or a genuine established trading base in Putney, normally SW15. An online-only business without a genuine Putney base would not qualify.
Does it cost anything to join?
No. Participation and use of the shared identity are voluntary, with no membership charge during the pilot.
Do I have to be part of the Ice Sculpture Trail?
No. The trail gives the pilot a timely public launch, but it is not the membership boundary and Indie Putney does not own the trail. Equally, taking part in the trail does not automatically confer eligibility to use the “A Putney Independent” mark.
Is the member mark a quality accreditation or PP endorsement?
No. It shows participation in the independent-business collective. Members must provide accurate information and follow the shared identity rules, but the mark must not be presented as a quality accreditation or endorsement by Positively Putney.
What happens after 28 November?
The initiative can continue independently of the trail and the BID3 ballot. The pilot group will review the evidence and decide whether to continue, change or stop — without assuming that a larger website or programme is automatically needed.