Market Town Make-overs
Article from Green Futures Magazine – July / August 2004
www.greenfutures.org.uk
Britain’s market towns are showing surprising signs of life – and business is at the heart of the revival, says Francesco Corsi of Entec.
A motorway service station in Cumbria starts selling locally produced food, providing an outlet for nearby farms. A supermarket in Mansfield draws a third of its staff from the over-50s. A housing developer in Lincolnshire provides affordable homes for local people.
Three examples of the ways in which the private sector is helping revitalise that traditional focus for rural communities – market towns. According to a new Entec-led study for Business in the Community, there’s growing evidence that market towns, long in decline, are starting to make a comeback.
Lack of local skills, reduced local spending, and the loss of young people migrating out to the cities have been among the challenges faced by market towns at the turn of the century. But now companies, large and small, are finding innovative ways to contribute to their sustainability – and gaining a competitive advantage by doing so.
Published by Business in the Community with sponsorship from the Countryside Agency and Tesco, the study explores how companies from all sectors can contribute to market towns, and the business benefits that are likely to result.
Understanding the value of people is a well versed business ethic, and a company well rooted in the local community can expect to benefit from a more motivated, skilled and diverse workforce. In Mansfield, Tesco’s policy of actively recruiting older people means that almost a third of the 159 staff there are over 50, so providing opportunities for an important and growing community, often critical to the wellbeing of a locality.
Integration of businesses into the local economy also makes a lot of sense, from saving costs to establishing a point of difference and retaining and recycling local spend. The Westmorland Group, which owns two service stations on the M6 in Cumbria, has integrated farm shops into its businesses, providing a range of locally produced, reasonably priced food. While benefiting local growers, the scheme provides an alternative to regular motorway fare, and an opportunity to showcase local specialities to a wider market. Sales have doubled in the last six months.
Still in Cumbria, Cochranes Nurseries in Longtown are participating in a scheme to provide seasonal fruit and vegetables to the local community. Through the use of volunteers for distribution, Cochranes can discount their produce and access a wider customer base, while encouraging greater consumption of healthy fruit and veg.
Companies can also get involved in improving community amenities. The Broadgate Group based in Spalding, Lincolnshire, operates a scheme to provide affordable housing to address the need for low cost homes in the area. Buyers purchase 60-80% of their property and pay low rent on the rest. This allows local businesses to retain their workforce, which in turn leads to continued commercial property rentals for the company.
On top of all the tangible benefits of such schemes, word of mouth travels fast in rural areas, and a business’s reputation counts just as much here as it does on the stock market. While there’s clearly much work to be done, with help from organisations such as Business in the Community we’re looking at an encouraging picture of good ideas being put into practice. Businesses have clear responsibilities in shaping a sustainable future for rural areas, with modern-day market towns reclaiming their traditional place at the heart of the community.
Francesco Corsi is marketing manager at Entec UK Ltd
The Positive Impact of Business – Putting down roots in market
towns can be accessed via Business in the Community’s website at www.bitc.org.uk.
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