Answer

I suppose that if the current owners of the shop are determined to close the business and are not tempted by private offers to take it over, there is nothing you can do to prevent them from winding up the business and realising the remaining assets if the shop is a private business.

Community ownership is often the only viable option for villages wishing to retain a village shop. If this means watching the current shop wind up its business (a very common way to lose a service) to have it then become a private residence (the attraction of rising property prices although permission for "change of use" is a prerequisite), to then have to start all over again to acquire new premises (new build, portakabin, etc) is not at all unusual process for a community to have to go through, as evidence by the case studies below. This is followed by a summary Action Plan.

Saving your village shop: Case Study in Maiden Bradley: http://www.sovereignty.org.uk/features/footnmouth/local2.html

"The social slumber in the former farming community was deeply disturbed last year when the village shop started running down its stock and threatening permanent closure. Faced with the demise of the only store for miles around, more than a third of Maiden Bradley's 300 residents turned up to a crisis meeting www.sovereignty.org.uk/features/activistinf/publicm.html, and in a burst of communal enterprise, decided to take it over and run it themselves. Today the shop is leased by the village with any proceeds going back into the community.Maiden Bradley is startled by its own initiative and coming to terms with being a landlord."

"When I heard the shop was going to close I told the chairman of the parish council, that it was their responsibility, and she said it wasn't. I said there was a wider issue at stake and there was a mega-row." In the end, both agreed to do something.

Case Study: How we Took over our village shop http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/actionnetwork/A5323358

"When the village shop closed because the owner was struggling to make a living, people had to travel three miles to the next village, or six miles to the nearest supermarket. In early 2003 we had been without a village shop for about six months. So the parish council, which I was chair of at the time, looked at the possibility of finding someone locally who would take on the empty shop. We held a public meeting which was very well attended. But at the meeting no one individual came forward to run the shop, so we decided to look into the possibility of opening a community shop. After the meeting we contacted an organisation called the Village Retail Services Association (www.virsa.org) which advises people who want to save their local shop. They put us in touch with a community shop in Derbyshire, similar to the type we wanted to get started. I went down to visit to find out how they had set it up.

Community investment: we knew we'd need more information before we could apply to get grants, so we did a survey in the village. We asked people if they would be willing to buy a £10 share in the shop and if they would be willing to loan money with no interest and no guarantee of repayment – not a very attractive offer! The money from the shares and loans was around £1,500, and that gave us a start. Part of the survey was to find out who would be willing to work in the shop. The village has a good community spirit – always has had – so it wasn't really difficult to get volunteers. We also asked villagers what they wanted the shop to stock and what the opening hours should be."

Case Study: Whiteshill and Ruscombe Village Shop http://www.bbc.co.uk/gloucestershire/communitytoolkit/services_shop.shtml

Case Study: Newbury http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/News/Article.aspx?articleID=5714

"At a cost of £80,000, campaigners were able to set up a new store in a Portakabin-like unit next to the village hall in 2005 thanks, in part, to the 500 people who each bought £10 shares in the business."

Case Study: Cromhall Village Shop: http://www.cromhall.com/history_shop.html

When Cromhall's original shop and post office closed in 1992, a small group of volunteers surveyed every household to find out how villages felt about its loss. A public meeting was held, a steering group formed, and the idea of starting a community shop began. With the help of ViRSA (Village Retail Services Association), then in its infancy, the group set up a Village Shop Association with £10 membership.

Buying the old shop premises would have been too expensive, and there were no other suitable buildings in the village, so the group's only option was a portable building on an old allotment site. This piece of land belonged to the District Council, which took some persuading that a Portakabin could look attractive and would not be a permanent option. Eventually, they granted the group two years on this site. Considering they had to clear the topsoil and put in mains drainage, water and electricity, they did wonder whether it was going to be worth all the effort. To raise the start-up funds of £14,000, the group sold bonds worth £50 each to villagers, received donations from local businesses and held fundraising events.

The Parish Council supplied a loan to buy the initial stock, as there were very few grants available then. There were many setbacks during the two and a half years it took to open the shop, and it seemed at times the group would never succeed. A dedicated team of volunteers, aged between 14 and 83 runs it; the shop has rarely closed due to lack of help. When the two years were up, the group applied for an extension to the planning consent and were thrilled to be granted another six years. Crucial to the success of this type of venture is the enthusiasm and tenacity of a dedicated few. All too often village shops and post offices are not appreciated until they close. Most villagers in Cromhall use it as much as possible to ensure the continued success of a project that means so much to so many.

ACTION PLAN:

Briefly, here are the steps on how to do it yourself:

- Get everyone involved.

- Hold a public meeting and carry out a village survey to assess demand for a community-owned shop (ongoing consultation with the community will be vital in getting the support of the community who will be potential customers, putting together a business plan, and making a case to funders)

- Set up a committee to lead the project

- Find out how people are prepared to help, for example, by donating their money or time (make a community "timebank" of what skill, donation in time people will commit to make - Work out what services people want, for example, post office, prescription delivery, newspapers (do the research!)

- Use local skills. You need a lot of volunteers, the skills of retired professionals and persistence. Even a small community will have hidden talents such as bookeeping

OTHER INFORMATION

For information on setting up a store,

visit www.acre.org.uk and www.virsa.org

To see if your village could be eligible for a grant, visit

www.access-funds.co.uk and www.awardsforall.org.uk

For advice on running a small business, visit www.bitc.org.uk

Other useful websites: www.villageshops.org; www.communitypubs.org; www.pubisthehub.org.uk; www.enterprisefund.co.uk; www.ruralrevival.org.uk

Virsa's website includes a selection of DIY handouts:

http://www.virsa.org/index.cfm/villageshop/Advice.Home

What is a community owned shop: http://www.virsa.org/pdf/advice_online/community/What_is_a_community_own...

Getting started: http://www.virsa.org/pdf/advice_online/startup/Why_open_a_community_owne...