Community Shops

CFO offers advice to existing community shops and those interested in setting up a new one. If your community has lost its shop, or your village shop is threatened with closure, we provide one-to-one advice and guidance.

Oxfordshire now has over twenty community-owned shops operating or in development, most of which provide the only retail provision in the village. The level of community involvement varies widely from store to store, but the one factor that all of these enterprises has in common is that the community was not prepared to just sit back and do nothing when the village shop closed.

COMMUNITY SHOPS SUPPORT SERVICE - FIND OUT MORE

We can offer personal advice and mentoring to community shop groups on:

  • How to get started
  • Premises
  • Funding
  • Legal structures
  • Business planning
  • Retail legislation
  • Involving the community
  • Volunteer training
  • Employment issues
  • Pricing policy
  • Stocking local food
  • Sustainability
  • Countywide support network

The community shops advisory service has been and continues to be invaluable.

Cherwell District Community Shop

CFO were a great help to the village shop group.

South Stoke community shop volunteer

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