Operating as a Community Benefit Society established in 2021, this village shop and post office demonstrates how community ownership can revitalise essential local services. The shop operates six days a week (9am-1pm, 2pm-5pm Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm Saturday) with potential Sunday morning openings, and is governed by a board of nine directors. Their staffing combines a full-time shop manager with part-time paid staff and 52 volunteers who perform various roles including customer service, stock ordering, collection, and cleaning.
Through our conversations with the Heptonstall team, we gathered these key lessons for success:
Business turnover has increased threefold since community takeover
Having an EPOS till system and using it to its full capacity is valuable
The importance of hiring compassionate staff who offer kindness and support to customers
Consider supplier choices carefully
Their community ownership model has allowed them to improve stock with fresh produce, better bread, alcohol, and local specialties, based on extensive market research of community needs.
We would like to thank Tim Nixon, Shop and Post Office Manager, for his time and openness in sharing the Heptonstall journey with us. His practical insights into day-to-day operations were particularly illuminating. Our appreciation also goes to Jane Summers, Ashleigh Cooper, and Jean Kessler from the WACA Learning Visits team for conducting this visit and documenting these valuable experiences.
