Briefing Paper

Abbotts Ann ViIlage Shop & Post Office

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Background

Abbotts Ann is a rural village adjacent to the town of Andover in Hampshire. There are no major roads through the village although there is a regular flow of traffic servicing the village and the surrounding area. Abbott Ann has a population of some 1040 and has it own Church, Public House, Village Hall and School. It also had a Post Office & Shop until late 1998.

Aim

The aim of this paper is to set out proposals for the re-establishment of a village Post Office & Shop.

Old Post Office & Shop

The original Post Office occupied an ideal position in the centre of the village close to the other public buildings. The premises consisted of 2 rooms of a thatched house, the remainder of the property being used as accommodation for the PostMaster and his wife. In addition to providing Post Office facilities, the business doubled as shop providing groceries, papers, tobacco, stationary etc. After a long unsuccessful period of trying to sell the property and business together, the Post Master closed the shop side of the business during late 1998 but kept the Post Office side running. The property was eventually sold but as a house only, not including the business.

Current Situation of the Post Office

On the departure of the old Post Master, the new owner of the building agreed to allow the Post Office facilities to remain for a short period in the hope that an alternative arrangement could be found elsewhere. The current Post Mistress and her husband run their own Post Office & Shop in an adjacent village, and have agreed to run the Abbotts Ann Post Office until new premises can be found or the property owner requires full use of her house.

Possible Locations for a New Post Office & Shop

There were 4 possible locations for siting a new venture. These were.

• Village Hall Extension - Unlikely to be approved as the pound is covered by a Covenant restricting its use.
• Public House Outbuilding - Not very promising due to lease problems and an uncertain future for the pub under its present proprietor.
• Old BT Building - A possibility, although not as central in the village as would be liked. Owner traced but not available.
• Old Barn - A derelict barn in a good location. Of historic interest in a conservation area.

Efforts have been effectively concentrating on the latter.

Regarding the method of procurement, it seems the better option is to buy the land or property and rent it out rather than lease/rent from another party.

Management of Future Post Office & Shop

The current managers of the Abbots Ann Post Office are Mr. & Mrs. Storer. Mrs. Storer is prepared to take on the running the new business, her aim being to train local people to take over the venture as a community concern when she retires (in 5 years).

Business Aspects

As owner of the property & land, the Abbotts Ann Village Shop Association would administer the Shop and Post Office on behalf of the community.

Post Office - The Post Master/Mistress would receive a set salary from Post Office Counters Ltd.

Shop - Calculations made by Mr. & Mrs. Storer based on a floor area of 800 square feet are as follows:

The shop should support a turnover of some £3000 per week (approx. £3 per head of the village population). This equates to £156,000 per year, with profit taken at 17% coming to £26,520.

A weekly/monthly rental would be charged as a percentage of turnover.

Profits would be distributed amongst the community projects.

It should be remembered that the Storers would be liable for the payment of all utilities and stock purchase

Initial outlay of stock would be the responsibility of the Store managers.

It is projected by the association that in order to make the business viable, an average spend of £3 per week per village member would be required The Rural Development Commission have confirmed this to be a manageable figure. They anticipate an initial weekly turnover of some £3500 increasing rapidly.

Referendum

A referendum was held to establish the potential support for a village Post Office & Shop. The above mentioned provisional plan was up for further discussion once the results of the referendum were known.

Of the 185 respondents (out of 500 questionnaires sent out), 183 warned to see a shop and Post Office re-established in the village, 173 would support it, 91 would donate funds, 87 would buy shares or bonds, 40 would be voluntary workers (3 of whom are already trained) and 35 would be prepared to serve on a committee.

As a result of this a village meeting was held and a Committee elected unanimously.

Its objectives: To provide a Village Shop and Post Office for the benefit of the community of Abbotts Ann.

Since then the Abbotts Ann Village Shop Association Ltd. has been registered under the Friendly and Provident Society Reg. No 28922R (A summary of the rules of the Association are attached).

The Association has been negotiating for the Cob Barn site and has been offered it for £70.000. The Community has raised through memberships, donations and loans £26,000 towards the purchase of the site. Fundraising is on going.

Grants (£5OOO each) from Test Valley Borough Council and Hampshire County Council have been awarded, and the association has been recommended for a further grant from the Rural Development Commission However this will be restricted to payment for fixtures & fittings.

In order to secure the site the Association possible mortgage or loan facilities at low interest were investigated. However a generous offer of an interest free loan has been made available to the Association. It is hoped that this will be repaid by developing part of the sight, as it is too large for a shop alone. Architects are helping with ideas to utilize the site to its full potential.

As a result of the above, successful exchange of contracts took place 22nd October 1999.

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Material Copyright © 1999 Abbotts Ann Village Shop Association