Category: Business News

AMONGST suggestions to safeguard the competitiveness of retail businesses in Thame, is a proposal to pedestrianise the Cornmarket area.
A recent report into the the health of retail businesses in Thame, commissioned by South Oxfordshire Dictrict Council, said that, in common with many other towns across the UK, trading conditions in Thame have: “progressively deteriorated in recent years.
“Consumer spending could continue to shift away from the town unless action is taken to increase its competitiveness and safeguard its future,” says the author of the report, John Lockwood of New Horizon Ltd.
The report looked at the town from a consumer’s point of view and highlighted weaknesses such as “poor quality toilets, traffic issues that mar an otherwise attractive shopping environment, narrow footways causing problems in Buttermarket, a shortage of parking on market days and declining standards in the quality of shop fronts.”
The report goes on to say: “Some of the proposals will involve changes that some people may find challenging but if the town is to capitalise on its assets it must make use of what it has, more effectively.”
It concludes that if implemented, the suggested actions “would assist in safeguarding the future vitality and viability of the town centre.”

Town Councillors and members of the Economic group of 21st Century Thame, are to meet to discuss the implications of the Lockwood report.

To see the full report, see Link

THE famous Hook Norton Brewery, which took over the Falcon Pub in Thame, on Monday, is looking for a new Licencee.
The brewere have stated: “It is our intention to decorate inside and out, and re-sign the pub. The kitchen is limited in fittings, and will require investment. We believe the pub is ideally located to take advantage at lunchtime and early evening of trade from the industrial estates, followed by more local trade in the evenings.

“The outside areas would lend themselves well as smoking areas, to take advantage of opportunities when the smoking ban comes in in 2007. The rent would be

THAME and District Chamber of Commerce has a new title.
The new name, Thame Business Group, took effect from the organisation’s EGM, held last Thursday evening at the Social, in Thame.
The group’s new Chairman is Alun Rowe, of Pentangle Internet.
Other officers are – Vice Chair, Sonja Francis of Thame.Net, Secretary, Heather Brown of Pickles Delicattesen, Treasurer, Keith Slater of Essence, and the Membership Secretary will be Kathryn Lock of The Practice.

For more information about the Thame Business Group, contact Kathryn Lock 01844 213344

Photo: Thame Business Group’s new Chairman, Alun Rowe, with MP Boris Johnson, when Boris visited Thame recently to support the ‘Try Thame First’ shopping campaign.

BUSINESSES in the Thame area are being encouraged to particate in the town’s Twinning activities.
Chair of Thame and District Twinning Association, Nigel Champken Woods, speaking at the groups AGM last Thursday, said: “I would like to encourage more participation in twinning by the businesses in Thame. There has been little participation by commercial organisations so far, and I would throw down a challenge to the business community to come and talk to us about what we can do to improve links and communication between businesses in Thame and Montesson, our twin town in France, near Paris.”

Commercial organisations who would like to discuss how they could get involved in Thame twinning, perhaps by offering work experience to French graduates, or making commercial links with businesses, retailers, etc in the Montesson area, can email the Twinning Association via its website: Link

A THAME business has sent its first shipment of recycled computers to an Africa charity.
Local computer support company, SoundByte Response, this week made their first shipment of donated computers to ComputerAid International ? a charity supporting schools and organisations in the third world.
Since March, Soundbyte have been acting as a collection point for donated computers and peripherals ? hardware that is obsolete here in the UK but much needed by third world schools.
Soundbyte MD, Simon Gray, said the company had been surprised by the level of response to the first appeal. ?We?d expected donations to dry up after the first few weeks, but the news that we?re doing this seems to have spread?
As ComputerAid themselves stress, not all equipment is suitable.
?We are currently able to make use of any Pentium III or IV machines and any related peripheral equipment. Importantly we also need your mice, keyboards, modems, cables and power leads, memory and other peripheral parts.?

Soundbyte are also accepting monitors, as long as they are working and are not larger than 17? but make a nominal charge for testing and shipping. Soundbyte can also clean all the existing data from your machine prior to donation.

If you have equipment to donate then you can bring it to Soundbyte?s computer clinic at Avon House, 82 Wellington Street, Thame during office hours or call 01844 216981 for more information.

A REDUCTION in crime and anti-social behaviour in Thame town centre, is one of the hoped for results of the towns new CCTV cameras, which were officially launched this afternoon.
Cllr Patrick Greene, Chair of South Oxfordshire District Council, speaking at Thames Valley Police Headquarters in Abingdon, from where the cameras will be monitored, said that the scheme was an example of good partnership working between the local police, the local councils, the town?s businesses and all the other community groups that have helped bring the scheme to Thame.
There are 16 CCTV cameras around the town, each placed on top of carefully designed, ?heritage style? posts in keeping with the town?s historic architecture. They will be monitored 24 hours a day, every day, digitally recording there wide-spread coverage.
The Capital Cost for Thame?s scheme was

BUSINESS planners in the county may have to re-evaluate their parking and transport policies, following a recent study which indicated that people who walk to the shops spend more than motorists.
The study was carried out in Bristol, following research originally published in Austria.
Read the full article at LINK

OAKLEY based Chartered Accountant, Sue Britnell, has given her clients their Christmas gift in the shape of a golf day and in turn has sent a belated gift to the sick children helped by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Sue, who is the owner and director of Masure Ltd., decided against the traditional bottles of wine or scotch and instead chose to organise a day on Waterstock golf course followed by a dinner and prize giving and the opportunity to make a donation to the charity.

Mother of three year-old Rebecca, Sue says, “I am so lucky to have my wonderful, healthy little girl and I wanted to help children who are not so lucky with their health. We had a lovely day at Waterstock, especially in such glorious weather, and I am thrilled with the success of the event. I would like to say a big thank you to my guests for supporting Make-A-Wish by coming along today, and to those who were unable to join us but made a donation anyway. We raised over

BUSINESSES across Oxfordshire are joining residents in making the county one of the best in the country at recycling, reducing or re-using waste.
In February, Oxfordshire County Council launched its first ever Commercial Waste Reduction Pack aimed at saving local businesses money through waste reduction.
Since its launch nearly 300 businesses have requested the pack.
The County Council, in partnership with the South East of England Development Agency (SEEDA), developed the pack for any small to medium sized business that wants to save money by reducing, reusing and recycling its business waste.
With tighter legislation and landfill tax going up by

A STUDENT from near Thame’s twin town of Montesson, near Paris, is looking for a work placement in the area, during May/June. Here is her request:-
“I am Jennifer Cohen, a French student in first year of International trade, in a 12th degree in the Paris area. I have to do a work placement in a marketing or in an export department from May 8th to June 30th, to be able to go into my second year.
“I could help the company: to do a foreign market research, to translate the website, the leaflets.. in French or in Spanish. Otherwise, I can be in the export department to help for the shipping of
the international orders from the seizure of the orders to the delivery.
“The company does not have to provide me any remuneration. The only thing which is really imposed by my school is that the company in which I do my training course has international activities, even if the firm is just located in one place.
“Regarding the time of work, my teachers did not specialize anything; it is upon the company’s request. However, I am personally motivated to do
extra hours if necessary.
“After the work placement I will have to do a report which will go towards my graduation. I will have to explain all the things I have learnt as well as all the things I did during the training course, in an oral presentation.
“For example, if I do market research I will have to explain why the company chose such market, how did I do this research, with which methods, the potential problems I met, and what are the conclusions.
“Of course, no confidential information regarding the company will be mentioned in my report.”

If you think your company could benefit from taking Jennifer on temporarily, contact her at: jennifer.cohen@hotmail.fr

If you would like to see her CV first, or would like anyother information before contacting Jennifer, contact Sonja Francis at: editor@thamenews.net or call o1844 218832