Advice and Information

Community ownership has become an increasingly recognised solution to rural shop closures across the UK and is often the only viable option for villages wishing to retain or introduce a local shop. The Plunkett Foundation is the only national organisation supporting community owned rural shops, and it is an important part of the Foundation's work. We have a dedicated team based at the Plunkett Foundation, as well as regional Community Retail Advisers, and we work in partnership with and alongside other local organisations to offer advice and support. Specifically, we can support communities to set up new community shops as well as working with established community shops to enable them to become more profitable and sustainable via:

• Start-up Funding
• Bespoke Business and Retail Support
• Peer to Peer Mentoring between Community Shops
• Online Forum, Community Shop Directory and Resources