A POPULAR Alloa shop has been brought into the "21st century" and is offering its goods via the town centre's online marketplace.

Anna's Larder, the iconic second generation Italian family business on Candleriggs, is now available on the Alloa First online marketplace.

The marketplace, which already features more than a dozen shops and stores, was set up by the town's business improvement district organisation during the coronavirus pandemic to ensure residents can still access businesses in the area.

Vilma Toma, who has been welcoming customers with a smile for years, told the Advertiser: "Anna's Larder is now online.

"We will be delighted to deliver your online order, as well as providing you with our personal service at the shop.

"This is a wonderful opportunity, thanks to Alloa First and Co.Lab for the pivotal role they have played to enable us to go into the 21st century."

Anna's Larder is offering all of its usual items online, from a wide range of fresh produce to its well-loved traditional confectionery.

According to Diane Brown, project manager at Alloa First, businesses on the high street need to embrace digital during the pandemic and possibly beyond, just as much as they need to keep the brick and mortar.

Food product is a key backbone of the online marketplace – indeed popular J&W Aitken Butchers have just been added to the listings as well.

Diane said: "People are really-really keen to food shop locally and not all from the big supermarkets.

"One of our customers who is ordering weekly says she is done with supermarkets and she would much rather shop online if there is a small, independent shop she can support – and even more so if they look at the amount of plastic they are using.

"A lot of our deliveries are just coming in either paper bags or cardboard boxes and there's not all the plastic associated with it."

The environmental aspect is important for Diane as she hopes to cut down on the miles food travels to reach customers in and around Alloa.

Speaking of the online market, she added: "It's very much a work in progress but we are hoping, fingers crossed, that it will be with us for a long time and that it will help be a secondary outlet for the businesses in the town centre."

She was delighted to have added a "fantastic" shop in Anna's Larder to the online market, especially as the business lacked an online presence prior to the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the Alloa First Friday Market is also set to return to the High Street.

The re-launch will take place on Friday, May 7, and stalls will be in place between 10am and 3.30pm.

To see all that is available from the online marketplace, visit shop.alloafirst.co.uk

Deliveries take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays against a £1 fee per store.