BUSINESSES in Studley are being invited to a meeting in the village hall in a bid to raise their profile and improve trade.
The revised Studley Business Forum aims to increase footfall into the village and highlight the many businesses the village has within its boundaries.
The meeting is on Wednesday, November 18 from 10am to 12noon.
The move comes after members of the parish council heard a presentation from Mike King of Benchmarking Business on the various tools the village could use to not only gain a greater understanding of why people visited and shopped in Studley but also how to provide the evidence to receive grants to address the shortfalls of why they didn’t.
An upbeat Mr King seemed unfazed as councillors raised the issues of difficult parking and high traffic density and the village’s habit of attracting fast food outlets and hairdressing salons.
“With these you can compare them nationally which will give you evidence to ensure that when vacant units become available you can get different retail units back into the village,” he said.
He quoted the example of Southam which had received a £20,000 grant from the county council based on the evidence it had provided to improve the attractiveness of the town for business.
Councillors heard that the scheme would cost £2,000 to administer and that nearby Bidford on Avon had already signed up.
However no decision was made on Studley joining them.
Businesses interested in attending the forum should email district councillor Justin Kerridge by Thursday, November 12 at [email protected] or call 07970 518953.
