Arts & Graphics + Draftline
Press Release Arts & Graphics + Draftline Redruth
12th September 2011
New beginnings for Arts & Graphics + Draftline
As many people will be aware, the current and on-going economic difficulties have had a very serious and adverse effect upon traditional High Streets the length and breadth of the U.K. Despite the fact that this was highlighted as far back as 2002 in a report entitled Ghost Town Britain by the New Economics Foundation who said in their Executive Summary:
We used to be a nation of shop-keepers. We have become a nation of shop-busters. Local shops and services – including corner- shops, grocers, high-street banks, post offices, pubs, hardware stores – are fast disappearing. The change is happening most visibly in villages and market towns, but just as dramatically in many larger urban and suburban areas.
Between 1995-2000, we lost roughly one-fifth of these vital institutions – the very fabric of our local economies. If current trends continue, we will lose a third of the tattered remains of that fabric over the next ten years. The result is Ghost Town Britain – an increasing number of communities and neighborhoods that lack easy access to local banks, post offices, corner shops and pubs that provide the social glue that holds communities together.Here at Arts & Graphics we have also struggled with the well documented issues of ever increasing overheads such as electricity, business rates (now paying £6000 per year, a rise of 32% in the last 8 years), the continuous development of “out of town” retailers, increasing town centre Car park charges, as well as decreasing customer spending due to the ongoing recession. These all conspire to make our traditional Town Centres less attractive venues for our customers. Despite the fact that a customer survey undertaken by us in December 2010 clearly showed that over 75% of our customers came to Redruth to shop with us, we are not getting enough trade to make the business, in its current format, a viable one. Many will know of the huge amount of energy that has been put in to Redruth regeneration projects over the last 12 years by Barbara. It is particularly disappointing for both Gerald and Barbara that despite these efforts the rewards in terms of an improving footfall in Redruth are as yet not apparent. After much discussion we have come to the conclusion that we must relocate to cheaper premises and rationalise the stock that we do carry as well as the way that we sell it. In order to achieve this we have decided that we will close our premises at 21 Fore Street Redruth on 24th December 2011.
In order to facilitate the move we will have a HALF PRICE SALE, commencing on Monday 19th September at 9am, where we will be clearing all stock except that marked with a green price ticket. At the same time we will be developing an on-line shop www.my24.co.uk/artsandcrafts , through which we will be offering a great selection of the crafting materials that our customers are familiar with, as well as new products and some bargains.
We will start trading from our alternative premises at 22 Falmouth Road Redruth on Tuesday 3rd January 2012, and will be open from 9.30 to 4.30 Monday to Friday, selling selected Stationery items, as well as Drawing Office Supplies, Office Furniture and Chairs. The commercial and business customers of Draftline will continue to be served as normal by Gerald, although the telephone number may have to change. Once we have these details we will make sure that everyone is fully aware of our contact details.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our loyal customers for their support over the last 35 years. In particular thanks must go to our landlord Simon Williams of Percy Williams Builders Redruth who has been incredibly supportive of us over the last 11 years. Finally and most importantly we must thank our loyal, longserving and long suffering staff for all their hard work. As a family business, our staff are far more than numbers to us; they have supported us magnificently, especially over the periods of Gerald’s ill-health.
We are looking forward to the future, and hope that by taking these steps that we will continue to serve our customers well, building upon the foundations established over the last 35 years, and taking the business in to the 21st century.
