Campaign Update

We know that the ‘Save our Shop’ headline for the funding campaign was emotive.  Now we’d like to tell you what we’re doing.

The funding campaign is about helping us cover the costs of key initiatives, projects and emergency expenses as we make major changes that move us to becoming a vibrant, resilient and adaptable business.

You may have noticed that we have already started to implement changes.  Our media presence is increasing, our local supplier list is expanding, we are hosting more shop produce events, providing an expanding list of shop services and facilities and recruiting volunteers with specific skill sets.  As a Community Interest Company, we enjoy access to grants for capital expenditure and we utilise this source of funding wherever possible – we already have several equipment upgrade projects in hand and hopefully these will come online soon.  The last years have set us back but there is so much more in the offing and you will see further changes over the next six months.

We have been working closely with the Plunkett Foundation.  They conducted a warts and all business review.  We received their detailed report last week and we have been rated as ‘Very Good’ for our work to date and future plans.  They have made recommendations across a wide range of areas and many of these fit into and boost our already started forward-looking initiatives and projects.  We have also been working hard behind the scenes on forecasting, margins, supply chains, logistics and financial planning.

Ropley has had a Village Store for centuries.  It has been at the centre of the village in bad winters when we were iced or snowed in but never more so than during the pandemic when it provided a lifeline especially for the elderly and the vulnerable.  We helped hundreds of people via home deliveries and more.  As a village resource and a community hub, the Shop has been and remains an invaluable asset.

Monies raised will be put towards signage & display, IT projects, branding and marketing, increasing our events programmes and much more.  Throughout the campaign we will provide updates on all the improvements that you have helped make possible.

So, as you can see, the shop is not on the brink of closing but we really do need your help to enable us to bring about these long-term positive changes.

NEWS: Save our Shop Campaign

Like many village shops across the UK, we are experiencing tough times due to the changing nature of work-life habits and price increases across every single aspect of our cost base.  Whilst we work very hard to keep prices down as much as possible, we cannot compete with supermarket prices.  We are asking people to support the Shop, be that financially, attending an event or donating time and skills, to help us keep on providing vital village services.  We understand times are hard for everyone.  We’ve set up a wide range of methods to enable supporting us however feels most appropriate for you – anything you can give will be deeply appreciated.

Easyfundraising:	Please visit: www.easfundraising.org.uk
Standing Orders:	You choose how much and how often to contribute – any regular income allows us to budget better
Donations Online:	Good for donations via card or BACS Account Name: Ropley Village Shop CIC – Account No: 70044147 – Sort Code: 51-61-09 – Reference: Donation
Donations Pot  (Shop counter):	Great for cash
Events:	We have a series of events planned which will help us both fundraise and showcase our range of products and suppliers – from tastings to suppliers showcases to pop-up pubs.