ykemp@tribunemedia.net Bahamians were yesterday urged to “avoid the mad dash and start shopping early" as more merchants join an initiative to drive increased Christmas purchases locally. Alannah van Onselen, the ShopLocal initiative's director, told Tribune Business the effort was faring “really well” with the initial marketing campaign. She added: “We've got good momentum going. We've got now a total of 55 businesses who are members, which is great, and we are looking for more members.” The ShopLocal initiative was launched last month by the Bahamas Federation of Retailers (BFR) and several corporate partners, including the Nassau Cruise Port and the Bahamas Light Industries Development Council, in a bid to encourage Bahamians to shop locally this holiday season and provide a badly-needed boost to merchants still struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic.