Sorry, Jonnie. It's not you it's me. I hope we can still keep in touch. But our relationship is no longer going to be so special, like it was in the old days.

You see, I've decided I'm going to start shopping in a different way. I like to think of it as a form of ethical shopping, in which I'll be doing my bit to benefit Bristol. I'm no longer going to do as much shopping online.

That means the charming Jonnie Boden, and his catalogue and internet clothing company Boden won't be hearing from me so often.

And nor will the various other online companies I've used regularly in recent years including Amazon, Wrap and La Redoute.

A lot of attention is paid to the provenance of products nowadays. Quite rightly, as it's important to support suppliers who ensure their workers have decent wages and working conditions.

But it's also important to support the people out on the front line of retail here in the Bristol area – that means the shop owners and retail workers who work in and around our city.

Buying online may be convenient in many ways. But there are unfortunate ramifications to phoning a person in a call centre somewhere else in the UK, who then puts your order through to some anonymous warehouse.

It means money isn't being spent locally. And because an online purchase isn't benefiting a local business employing local people, it means that the local economy isn't benefiting, too.

When I lived in Thailand about 10 years ago, I did copywriting for a number of local companies including a leading business club in Bangkok.

One of my colleagues explained to me that businessmen at the club were all doing deals with each other, and by supporting each other they ensured that their money was going round within the same circle.

Traders have clearly realised the importance of this in Keynsham, which is expected to be affected by the loss of 500 jobs with the closure of the Cadbury's factory.

Today will see the launch of a campaign called "Keep it local: Keep It Keynsham". The aim is to encourage shoppers to boost trade in the town by buying locally where possible.

Good luck to them. And in the meantime, I will be doing my best to shop locally in Bristol instead of online.

I've started already. A couple of days ago I broke an earring, but instead of sending off for a new pair from an online jewellery company I've used in the past, I bought new ones at a jeweller's shop in Broadmead.

While I was walking through Broadmead, I spotted one of my favourite films, The Blues Brothers, on DVD for just £3, so I also snapped up that unexpected bargain.

The cost of car parking came to £2 – no worse than the postage and packing charge for online purchases – and the trip was considerably less arduous than many of my online shopping forays.

For while it may be convenient to order in just a click of a computer mouse or a phone call, it's not so convenient when the item you've ordered arrives when you're out, and you have to make time to collect it from the parcel office (where you will invariably end up shuffling along in a rather inconvenient queue).

The highlight of the shopping trip to Broadmead, however, was seeing Cabot Circus and Quakers Friars nearing completion nearby.

I'd brought my eldest son with me, and he was enthralled by the sight of the huge, domed glass roof.

The youngest one had previously been going on about having lunch at the new branch of Carluccio's that will be opening in Cabot Circus, as it's his favourite restaurant for lunch when he goes to visit my parents.

So once the new shops and restaurants have opened on September 25, I'm planning a shopping trip and lunch which I'm sure we'll enjoy anyway – and which will be made even more pleasurable by the knowledge that we'll be doing our bit to support the 4,000 people who will be employed in new jobs in Bristol city centre as a result of the opening of Cabot Circus.

That's 4,000 people who will be picking up a pay packet. And hopefully they will chose to spend it mainly in Bristol and not online.

Sorry, Jonnie.