A community shop is managed and run democratically by the community, with all shareholders having one vote, regardless of the number of shares they have purchased.  Any profits go back into the shop and the community.

There are 433 community shops in the UK, with about 40 of them in Oxfordshire, including in the nearby villages of Tackley and Wootton. To get a flavour of a community shop, have a look at the website of this award-winning shop in nearby Gloucestershire: Bledington Community Shop and Cafe Gloucestershire Cotswolds

The addition of a café to the shop creates an important social hub in the village:

• it offers an opportunity for shoppers, especially the elderly, to sit down and chat with friends and neighbours,
• provides a meeting place to welcome newcomers and visitors to the village
• will make an important contribution towards the financial viability of the project.

• Community businesses work: according to the Plunkett Foundation, based in Woodstock, community businesses in the UK have a long-term survival rate of 94%. By contrast, in the last five years only 44% of new small commercial enterprises have survived.
• The forecasts in our business plan are based on an industry recognised demographic study of the population within a 10-minute walk of the proposed site and using data from community shops in similar settings; they provide good grounds for believing that a similar shop here could be just as successful.
• The proposed shop, operating on a larger scale than the previous commercial shop, would offer a sufficiently large space to provide a wide range of goods.
• The shop would not rely on paid staff, but have a paid supervisor, supported by volunteers. 
• While needing to cover its costs and introduce new products, the shop would not need to make a profit: any surplus would be put back into the shop or distributed to other community initiatives in the village

• the profits from a commercial business go to the owners of the business; the profits from a community shop go back to the community.
• a commercial business has higher overheads than a community shop.  In particular, it has higher staffing costs than a shop where much of the work is carried out by volunteers under the supervision of a paid supervisor.

Careful preparation of a project on this scale necessarily takes time and effort, including: 

• establishing the level of support in the village for a community run shop by setting up a village-wide survey and processing the responses; 
• improving our understanding of the working of community shops, by visiting several and discussing their operation with their managers; 
• obtaining detailed advice on our plans from the Plunkett Foundation in Woodstock, which supports community businesses, to ensure they are a viable and realistic; 
• illustrating the potential of the shop by organising three farmers markets; 
• obtaining planning permission from Cherwell District Council and then discussing with Kirtlington Parish Council the terms of a sub-lease for the proposed initial site next to the Village Hall; 
• preparing for registration as a Community Benefit Society, developing a robust business plan, producing a website and planning the public launch of a share prospectus, inviting villagers to support the creation of the shop;  
• investigating potential sources of grant finance to complement the support provided by shareholders and donors; and 
• examining other options for the siting of the shop and café, notably at the Dashwood Arms. 

Villagers and others buy shares to become members of the Community Benefit Society. Shares in Kirtlington Community Shop & Café Limited cost £1 each with a minimum purchase of 20 shares (so £20).

Full details are contained in the share offer document.

Those interested in supporting the project but not wanting to become shareholders can make donations.  In addition, many villagers have pledged their support by offering their skills. In the 2023 Survey we had offers of voluntary support from local builders, electricians, plumbers, IT support, bakers and cooks.

Most community shops are run as a Community Benefit Society (CBS), an organisation registered with the Financial Conduct Authority with the specific remit that it must benefit the community. Everyone who buys shares in the society becomes a member and all members have an equal say in the development of the shop. The members elect a management committee to oversee the daily running of the shop.

Building design 

• The building would be made of sustainable timber essential for lowering carbon emissions.
• The building system of two structural facings with an insulating foam core is extremely strong and energy efficient.

Energy 

• The intention is to install a pv array on the south-west facing roof, echoing the large array on the roof of the village hall next to the new building and contributing to reducing energy use. 
• While we expect most customers to arrive on foot, the car park includes two electric vehicle charging points.
• Bike stanchions by the shop would help to encourage cycling.

Biodiversity 

We will include landscaping in the design of the surroundings, to complement planting round the village hall and to increase the biodiversity of the site.

Waste 

We will aim to reduce waste as far as possible, by careful planning, offering discounts on products approaching their sell-by date, minimising the use of packaging, especially plastics, providing refill options for basic household products and paper or jute shopping bags.

The shop would be open seven days a week, with reduced hours on a Sunday. It would stock all essential groceries, plus local produce and delicacies, the priority being a good range at reasonable cost. There would be freshly baked bread, milk, ready-prepared meals as well as treats you cannot find in a supermarket. Local crafts and artisan products would be available, thus supporting local artists and small businesses, as was illustrated at the Farmers Markets held in 2023 and 2024, in and near the Village Hall. It is also foreseen that we will offer limited post office services, including pick-up and drop off for parcels, and will arrange that prescriptions be delivered to the shop for collection.

The experience of other village shops (see, for example, two particularly successful shops at Wigginton (wiggintonshop.org.uk) and Bledington (bledingtonshop.com)) shows how this shop could provide a valuable additional amenity to those provided by the Oxford Arms and the village’s various voluntary organisations. It would offer employment, training, and volunteering opportunities for people of all ages and it would provide support to those on low incomes or unable/unwilling to travel. In addition, surplus funds, beyond those needed to develop the shop and café, would be distributed within the community to support community projects.

In the unlikely event that the shop fails we have agreed with Kirtlington Parish Council that a deposit to cover removal of the building and restoration of the site will be placed in an escrow account at the time of signing the lease.

• We have formed a Community Benefit Society (CBS) 
• To finance the building and fitting out of the shop and café, we are inviting individuals and businesses to buy shares in the CBS
• By buying shares, you will become a member of the CBS
• One share costs £1, and the minimum investment is £20

We want as many people in the community as possible to become members by buying shares. Every investment, however small, is welcome. But we do need some substantial investments. We already have pledges of some 4 and 5 figure sums and are hopeful that we will attract more of these higher amounts.

Kirtlington CBS has applied for a notice of Advanced Assurance from HMRC. If successful, anyone who has paid income tax or capital gains tax in either the tax year that the investment is made or the year proceeding that year, will be able to claim tax relief of 50% on their share purchase. There are possibly some inheritance tax benefits as well.

Please see the full Share Offer Document for details on tax relief and inheritance tax.

If you would prefer a paper copy of the Share Offer document (which will contain the application form), you can email us on info@kirtlingtonshop.org.uk, collect one from the Oxford Arms, or the Church or ask a Committee member.

All the information about the Share Offer will be available on the website, including the full Share Offer document and application form to buy shares. 

You can submit the application form digitally via the website and make the payment by bank transfer. 

If you want to pay by cheque, this can be posted to:

Barbara Kemp 

2 Sylvan Cottages

Kirtlington

OX5 3HJ

(Near to the war memorial)

Please ensure your envelope is clearly marked with your name so we can match with your online application form.

Share Offer closes 20th July.