Sproughton Community Shop

Sproughton Community Shop: a case study.

Rosalind Lavington

VIEWING AREA

KITCHEN

VIEWING AREA

TOILETS

WEST STORE

Tithe Barn, Lower Street, Sproughton, Suffolk, IP8 3AA.

Former EaststoreFormer West store

& tractor garage

Main barn

The old East Store in 2005

The contents of the East Store in 2005

Outerweatherboardcladding

Internaloakstuds

New, thicker plyskin, insulation,membranes andbattens

View, from above, of sample sections of the barn wall.Top section: after insulating the barn. Bottom section: old (original) arrangement.

February 2009: insulationwork in progress.

The old West Storeand tractor garage

The contents of theWest Store in 2009.

• 3 miles West of Ipswich• 80% rural area• 556 households

Ian Toye at our Local Food Fair

● 32 volunteers ● 2 part-time paid managers● Direct sourcing from 30 local producers ● Several more indirectly from Shire Foods● Minimum orders● Turnover £87k, of which local foods = 27% = £23.5k● c 650 lines of stock valued at c £6k● c £5k p.a. direct from Traidcraft● Food- intolerance range● BOGOFs● Standard wholesalers

Where are we now?

● The power of brands.● Organic is not important.● Vegetables are a nightmare – we need to develop a veg box scheme to promote turnover.● Running a shop creates endless paperwork.● Apply for every grant available – evidence base.

To meet the needs of our community, we have learned:

Our first principle is to remain profitable.We find that Local Food is key.

www.sproughtoncommunityshop.co.uk

[email protected] www.sproughtoncommunityshop.co.uk