Notes From Thame Chamber Meeting – 03/08/05

ACTING CHAIR, Keith Slater, introduced the evening, referring to the previous month?s meeting when several retailers who had not previously been involved in the Chamber, turned up and reported that not only were not enough customers coming through their doors but that they were not taking enough money.
As a result of that meeting, the Chamber had decided to look and see what it could do about it.
At the same time, Keith explained, SODC (South Oxfordshire District Council) were looking at Thame and comparing it with other towns in the district with a view to seeing how they could help those retailers who are struggling. Coincidentally early indications show that SODC?s findings concur with the Chamber?s own findings that indeed many retailers are suffering.
A presentation then followed looking into:
A) WHAT WE CAN DO TO MARKET THAME SHOPS AND OTHER BUSINESSES
B) WHAT IT COULD COST
C) WHERE COULD THE FUNDING COME FROM?

SODC are apparently willing to support improving Retail in Thame, although it is not clear how much money they would be willing to inject.

Mark Goodall, the proprietor of Pied Pedaller in Thame, opened the presentation with some official UK retail performance figures which showed that whilst the income from food had grown by around 1.5%, non-food was down around 2.5%. Mark explained that these figures were skewed by some of the larger, multi-nationals, and that smaller, independent retailers were suffering larger reductions in their profits. But even Woolworths? figures were down. He explained that Tesco now held over 30% of food sales in the UK, and that