Market Place Details

Village Shop and Post Office

Name: Christine Hope
Company / Business Name: Hopes of Longtown Village Shop / Village Shop and Post Office
Website: www.hopesoflongtown.co.uk
Email: christine@hopesoflongtown.co.uk
Telephone: 01873 860444
Mobile: 0
Categories: Retail

About the Company / Business

When the shop side of the Longtown Post Office closed in 2001, Christine Hope had just returned home from travelling and was looking for employment locally. With no assets, a graduate loan to pay off she looked at re-opening the shop – so she wrote a business plan and submitted it to her local bank manager.

With the nearest shop six miles away and the closest supermarket ten miles away, the village was very isolated without the services of a shop or post office) which play a vital role as a focal point in village life. The post office was experiencing problems with staff ill health. With a donation of £500 a loan of £500 and an overdraft facility of £10,000 Christine was in business. Various measures were introduced to help cash flow, including customers paying money up front and reducing the balance when goods are purchased; rent was based on 2% of total sales and percentage mark-ups for local suppliers reduced if they took responsibility for stock levels and billing procedures. In its first year the turnover was just under £200,000 and sales are up 48 %. Employees in the shop are paid above the minimum wage (despite some local people offering to help out on a voluntary basis to give her a break). Hopes are keen to support the local economy and sell a range of locally made or produced products from cakes to eggs, walking guides and handmade chocolates. They also stock Fair Trade tea, coffee, cocoa, sugar, mango chutney and snack bars and at Christmas have an arrangement with local suppliers to meet orders.