Use us or lose us. That’s the message from the owner of one of Wokingham’s independent retailers following his decision to open his shop for just three days every week.
Phil Edgecombe of artisan food shop Phil’s Good Food in Broad Street said his shop will only open for business on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays due to a severe decline in footfall in the town that, he said, has been made worse by the Finchampstead Road closure on one of the main arterial routes into Wokingham.
Phil told Wokingham Today: “I suppose you can say I am condensing the goodness.”
The shop has reduced its opening hours, with Sundays being added in the run-up to Christmas.
He explained how the change will help him focus on the busiest days in Wokingham, while continuing to bring customers the very best local and artisan produce.
He said: “We’ll still have all the things people love; the cheese, the chutneys, the local gins, the local beers, artisan biscuits, snacks, all the good stuff.
““It’s just concentrated into three days instead of five. It’ll be the same Phil, same jokes, just condensed, like our proper tomato sauce!”
Phil has drawn on his engineering background and taken on another role outside the shop to help keep the business thriving, and to remain at the heart of Wokingham’s independent retailer scene.
He added that business is about 40% down from this time last year.
“If that continues through the Christmas period, I think many of the town’s businesses will really struggle.
“The council don’t seem to have considered the impact on the town. Did they do any study?
“My decision to open for just these days is this is the only time when actual humans can be spotted in Wokingham.
“You’ve got to give some credit to the council’s ‘traffic stopping’ schemes for that.”
He concluded: “Thank you, genuinely, for keeping this little shop alive.
“Every jar of jam, snack and bottle of gin you buy means we can keep doing this, even if it’s less days a week,
“It means the world to me.”
Cllr Mark Ashwell, executive member for business development on Wokingham borough council, told Wokingham Today: “As a fellow Wokingham borough businessman, I really applaud Phil’s proactive approach
“Feeling sorry for ourselves when the going gets tough is not an emotion that helps.
“Phil is an inspiration and testament to what sets our Wokingham town centre apart, and I genuinely thank him for keeping his little shop alive.
“Let’s all use him.”
Wokingham MP Clive Jones told Wokingham Today: “I’m really sorry that Phil has had to make this decision.
“Like many independent retailers he is doing his best to face the challenges of today’s retail environment.
“I hope that many people who read this article will drop into his shop Thursday to Saturday and support this well known retailer.”
