SPOTLIGHT ON CHINGFORD: Traders' struggle through recession (From Haringey Independent)

SPOTLIGHT ON CHINGFORD: Traders' struggle through recession

12:59pm Tuesday 9th February 2010

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THE recession may be over, but it has left its mark on people and businesses across the country.

For small, independent traders, the past 18 months have been a struggle, with shops lying empty in our high streets serving as a devastating reminder of the economic downturn.

Business owners in one part of Chingford shared their views on the difficult trading conditions and what they feel could be done to help them.

Traders in Chingford Mount Road have perhaps been harder hit by the recession than their counterparts in the more prosperous shopping area of Station Road.

Cemal Arkut, 52, who has owned Suitability Dry Cleaners for more than 10 years, says the recent downturn has seen about 11 shops close around his store, including builders' merchants Jackson and Allen, which had been running for 97 years.

“The recession has hit very hard round here,” says Cemal. “I've had customers coming in saying they have lost their jobs and of course we lost Woolworths, which used to bring a lot of people to this area.

“It is a vicious circle because the more shops that close, the less people want to come to the area.”

Mr Arkut and his fellow traders believe better parking and fewer empty shops would encourage people to use the area more.

But they say high rents and business rates are off-putting to new businesses and empty units have been filled mostly by charity shops.

Kam Mandalin, part-owner of Costcutter, says rate rises combined with increased competition are reducing profit margins.

“It has been very hard,” he says. “There are too many shops within a small space that are doing the same thing and that means you have to become very competitive.

“Rates only used to go up if your retail space expanded, but now it seems it goes up every year.”

One business owner has approached the problem of declining trade in a different way.

Cleo Foulcer, business partner at Alarms n Sounds, which opened two years ago, says the company is using other techniques to attract trade.

“We have found it difficult starting a new business, but we knew there was going to be a recession so we weren't under any illusions.

“We had to start our business using the internet and have built up a customer database, which provides most of our business.

“The shop front is only to attract passing trade and only makes up about five to ten per cent of our business, so it wouldn't be worth us having if we didn't have the online trade as well.

“We have to keep our overheads really low.”

Cafe owners along the strip, who are mostly reliant on passing trade, have found the recent decline hard.

Taylan Coban, owner of Coban's Cafe, said: “Eight shops closed in six months, which affected our business a lot.

“The street needs independent traders to keep it alive. I think there should be some investment to bring in more retailers and attract people.”

Some traders feel the key to survival lies in specialist services.

Geoff Bywater, who has run County Cameras for nearly 37 years, says: “There is a place on the high street for the dedicated specialist shop, but you have to work hard for it.

“We have had to adapt over the years. We can no longer invest in high-value, low profit items that the big chains can sell for less, but we can provide a personal service in all sorts of other things the big shops can't do.”

One of the main issues for traders is a lack of support, but there is help on the horizon in the form of a new business forum.

The Waltham Forest Business Board (WFBB) has already set up successful forums in other parts of the borough, to give traders a voice and to help them lobby the council over issues such as parking, CCTV and business rates.

Now it is setting up a forum for business owners in Chingford to voice their concerns.

Michael Polledri, WFBB chairman, said: “We thought there was a missing gap in the Chingford area.

“The aim is to get business to come together to have one voice with which they can talk to the local authority.

“It has worked very well in Leyton, Leytonstone and Argyll Avenue already.

“Chingford has a very successful series of smaller businesses but not one voice to get across their views.

“It's about having a dialogue between small businesses and the authority. If we had big firms in the borough, they would make their voices heard so why shouldn't the small businesses.”

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