Areas for further investigation

Jim Conboy
28-Nov-2004

Retail

Assumptions -

  • An active retail sector is good for the town
  • Profits from locally owned shops are more likely to be spent locally ( No evidence for this.. )

Does Chesham town Ccl benefit financially from increased trade in the town ( e.g. rates, community charge ) ??

What factors influence the amount of business done in the town centre ?

1) Range of shops, range of goods stocked..

[ To Do - list the shops in Chesham ]

Business No of Outlets SWOT
Supermarkets 2 S - compete with each other
T - compete with other outlets
Greengrocers 0 [ Except on market day ] W - No option but supermarkets
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Competitors

Location Business SWOT
Amersham
High Wycombe, Hemel
Watford		 Tesco
Sainsbury
ASDA		 T - bigger stores
High Wycombe,
Watford		 John Lewis T - wide range of stock
Hemel Hempstead,
High Wycombe,
Watford		 B&Q, Wicks, Homebase T - wider choice
Internet Any T - choice, lower overheads
O - promote local retailers

Access

[ Should consult more people - these are my own thoughts.. ]

Why shop locally ?

  • Convenience
  • Free parking ( at supermarkets )

Why not shop locally ?

  • Rather restricted range 
  • Local traffic congestion ( during rush hrs )
  • Restricted opening times
  • Expensive ( extortionate ? ) parking
  • Limited public transport to some residential areas

        Promoting Chesham shops

Current activities

Advertising in local press
.. presumably advertisers know their business
Market day, banner on the roundabout
limited information content (W)
French market
Infrequent ; attracts shoppers (O) , diverts trade from local shops (T)
Victorian shopping evening
Annual ; attracts crowds (O)
Internet
Few local shops have web presence ( W, O )

Possibilities 

Parking
Provide a limited amount of free parking for 30min max
Free parking in Water meadows on Saturday ? Reduce pressure on Star yard, balance free parking at Sainsbury
Refund parking if spending £X or more in town ?
Varied opening times
Arrange summer equivalent to 'Victorian evening' ?
Regular ( Monthly ? Quarterly ? ) late night shopping
Internet
Coordinate Chesham web presence ( see next section )

Internet opportunities

Basic

Construct a local web directory, listing all local stores, with 1 page summary, or link to own site, free/minimal cost for each store ( provide help creating page if necessary ). [ See Thame site - http://www.thametowncouncil.gov.uk/shoppersguide.pdf ]

More ambitious ..

Assist shops with setting up web sites ( provide server ? negotiate for web space discount ? programming advice ? )