Community Shops in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire now has eighteen community-owned shops, most of which provide the only retail provision in the village. The level of community involvement varies widely from store to store, but the one factor that all of these enterprises has in common is that the community was not prepared to just sit back and do nothing when the village shop closed.
If your community has lost its shop, or your village shop is threatened with closure, ORCC’s Village Shops Development Worker is available to give one-to-one advice and guidance on how to set up and run a community-owned shop.
ORCC offers personal advice and mentoring to community shop groups on:
- How to get started
- Premises
- Funding
- Legal structures
- Business planning
- Retail legislation
- Involving the community
- Volunteer training
- Employment issues
- Pricing policy
- Stocking local food
- Sustainability
- Countywide support network
ORCC’s publication ‘Setting up a community shop’ contains lots of useful information on how to establish a local shop in your community.
For further information please contact Jane Barker, Village Shops Development Worker, 01865 883488 jane.barker@oxonrcc.org.uk
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