Brentwood West Councillor and local businessman Will Russell met with Kings Road and Warley Hill Business Group (KRWH) to discuss the arrival of Tesco, issues facing local business and on what needs to be done to improve out of town centre shopping and footfall to the neighbourhood shops.
Cllr Russell, who owns and runs the award winning hair salon Vega Hairdressing on Kings Road said:
"Local shops are at the heart of our town, they offer great service at a convenient location and add to our sense of community. It is vital as traders that we work together to ensure local businesses thrive and this meeting was a big step in safeguarding their future. We discussed a range of ideas and will be actioning a number of them as we go forward. We have decided that with the help of Brentwood's Renaissance Fund we will seek to start a mini campaign to highlight the free parking in the area, look into the possibility of employing a mystery shopper, introduce a KRWH loyalty card and to have some KRWH flyers distributed"
"After writing to Tesco to express my concern over what effect their presence will have on competition in the area, I received a response. It seems likely that Tesco will be coming to Warley, but they seem keen on involving themselves in the local community and have even offered to support a local charity for which I have put forward a recommendation.”
"I have also asked Tesco if they would be willing to join our business group so we can work together to draw custom into the area and we're hoping they will support an event to further this objective, I hope to hear back from them shortly"
"This has been a positive step and I think by working together we can ensure the future of our community"