Briantspuddle Village Shop
What's on offer
A range of meats, fruit, vegetables, cakes and confectionery and other local produce is on sale. Bread and newspapers can be ordered at twenty four hours notice. The prices generally are significantly less than at other village shops as once relieved of the need to pay staff, prices can be kept low. Also noteworthy is the variety and quality of the greetings cards by local artists on sale at very competitive prices.
The Post Office can carry out the full range of the transactions normally conducted at all Post Offices with the exception of Motor Vehicle Taxation. Electronic Banking Services such as cash withdrawal and deposit are also available for a number of banks including Alliance and Leicester, Lloyds TSB and Barclays. Bills can also be paid through GIRO and Automatic Payment Service and foreign money (Euros etc) can be ordered for next day delivery. A photocopying service is also available at economic rates. Remember, survival is largely based on the number of transactions carried out - so the more it is used the better chance there is of keeping it.
Information from http://www.briantspuddle.info/page.php?pageID=18
DIY Rescue Job
Nearly four years ago, Briantspuddle in Dorset decided that the only way to save the local shop was to run it ‘by the villagers for the village’. Paul Badcock explained: “Over the years, the butcher, baker, general store and post office have all imploded into one. Several attempts to run the village shop and post office on a commercial basis had collapsed. We decided that if we were going to make it work, we had to do it ourselves. We held a public meeting and asked for volunteers and customers.”
They got them all. In addition, they were given security of tenure on the shop building next to the village hall at nominal rent. The Countryside Agency gave them a grant. Affpuddle and Turnerspuddle Parish Council help with running costs and Purbeck District Council waive half the business rates.
The shop is open seven mornings a week and by its third year was making a profit, which was ploughed back into the village. Interestingly, they have done a deal with the supermarkets allowing them to sell Sainsbury-branded products
