Shop newsletter 191003

Hi everyone, it’s been quite a while since I did a newsletter for the shop so here is a bit of a catch up…

1. Time to renew 150 Club entries
2. Volunteers for Sundays
3. We’re still growing
4. Wine Club
5. Subscriptions reminder

1. Our shop-based lottery is about to complete another 12 months at the end of October.  This, for those of you who don’t know is where for an annual fee of £15, you get a chance each month to win prizes of £50, £30, £20 and £10.  For the shop, it produces a small profit, but this profit helps keep our heads above water.  There have been lots of you who have won this year, some lucky ones have won more than one prize!  Unfortunately, this list doesn’t include me!
   
   Please renew your entry at the shop soon.  For now, you can keep your number if you want to but any number not claimed by the end of the month goes open for others to buy.  For those of you who haven’t got a number, and wish to join the club, you can do so now by paying £15 for one of the open numbers - there are a few.
   
   If you’d like to pay for your entry using your Prepay account, and you want me to do that for you, please just reply to this email and I will sort it for you.  Good luck!
    
2. You will all know that Sundays run on the basis that we use volunteers, usually two each week, to run the shop.  We have a number of couples who take their turn.  We want to thank Martin and Hilary Arthur for their service over the years, but they have now stepped down.  Jenny Gambon and Liz Keyworth are stepping up and will be trained shortly to join the rota, but we are always looking for more volunteers.  If you feel you can help, then let one of us know and we’ll build you into the scheme and get you trained - it’s easy.  You don’t need to be a pair, we can fit you in with someone who already volunteers.
   
   Also, if you have any skills, or the time to help out another ways, let us know.  We already use volunteer help for trips to the dump with packaging, electrical odd jobs, taking and processing deliveries, various shop-fitting and maintenance items and of course the committee are all volunteers.  We’d love to get more people involved.
    
3. Although we announce our annual results to the end of January at the AGM, usually in June or July, it is worth just saying that the shop is still on a growth trend, in terms of turnover.  Year to date we are about 4% up on last year and this is a trend that has continued for quite a few years now.  Things like the weather, and how good Daffodil Weekend is, have a big effect on our turnover, and there will be a bit of inflation in that 4% but it is obvious that volume is slowly increasing and that people appreciate a village shop more rather than less and in that, we seem to be bucking the trend of retail decline.  Long may it continue.
    
4. We will be having another round of the wine club before Christmas.  Noel Young has moved his shop to Shelford this summer and I decided not to run a round while he was in turmoil, but he’s ready to go again with us and he’ll be getting his selections out to us soon.  If you want to join this exclusive club (!) just let me know and I’ll post you the selections.  There is no cost associated with membership and there is no requirement to buy.  I normally run three rounds each year.  When your order comes, I deliver it to your door.  It’s a great way to get a broad selection of wines.
    
5. Most of our customers will by now have paid their subscriptions for this year’s membership of the shop association.  This is a very kind donation of £10 and for this you get voting rights at the AGM.  Much more important is that it’s another significant item that helps us make a small profit which keeps the shop safe in the event of a downturn.  If you have not paid a subscription fee and would like to, please enquire at the shop.  And thank you to this of you that have already done so.

That’s all for now….