Business support workshops for Chard (From This is The West Country)

Business support workshops for Chard

3:06pm Thursday 29th July 2010

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A SERIES of workshops will give Chard businesses tailored advice on how to overcome specific local challenges and attract more customers, starting next month.

Business Information Point will be helping the town’s businesses to market themselves more effectively, find out how to reach new markets, build websites and collaborate on strategies to improve footfall.

They will also be given the chance to work on joint business plans and projects that promote the area as a whole and market Chard and its town centre as a positive place to visit and shop.

The opportunity is being offered following a recent South Somerset District Council survey of the town’s traders, which aimed to find out what advice and expertise business owners wanted access to. The survey showed the highest need was for help with marketing.

Workshops will now be held on Wednesday, August 11, and Wednesday, September 15, at the Holyrood Lace Mill in Chard from 6pm to 8.30pm.

BIP’s Petra Davies said: “We have a lot of expertise in marketing and we will be offering advice on the tools that attendees find most useful to them.

“We can also offer tailored one-to-one advice to help businesses target specific challenges.

“Not only will we be giving out advice, we are also hoping that the sessions will be a way of taking forward ideas about improving footfall in Chard that traders have already discussed at recent meetings.

“We will be helping to translate ideas into actions that local businesses can both contribute to and benefit from.

“BIP may also be able to help the group apply for 'Making it Local' funding to deliver any immediate improvement projects that traders can agree on, so these sessions should be really productive.”

The council’s economic development spokesman, Cllr Jo Roundell Greene, said: “Training is just one aspect of a much wider range of support that South Somerset District Council offers, including business rate relief, help with planning and other regulations and introduction to the help available from partner organisations like Business Link.”

Economic development officer, Rob Murray, added: “We are hoping that, as well as helping to improve individual businesses which will in turn improve the town’s economy, footfall and employment opportunities, this support will also encourage businesses to work together, building on existing progress to help promote Chard as a whole too.”

The workshops are going ahead after funding was received from the ‘Making it Local’ grants scheme in the Blackdown Hills and East Devon AONB.

To reserve a place for £10, contact Business Information Point on 0800-592872 or e-mail team@bipwestdevon.biz with your contact information.

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