One of Ludlow’s oldest shops faces closure
One of Ludlow’s oldest shops is facing closure within months because staff say spiralling rates have made the business unsustainable.
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EJ Poyner Drapers has been trading as a family-owned business on Broad Street since 1897. But staff claim rates have increased by more than a third over the past two years rising from around £500 to £885 a month.
Margaret Edwards, an assistant at the shop, which employs three people, said: “We do not want to close but unless we get a fairer deal on business rates I don’t think we will be able to carry on.
“We have been fighting this case for about six months and our MP Philip Dunne has been looking into it for us but it looks most likely we will close and the town will lose Poyners.”
Town councillors Graeme Perks and Jim Newbold have called on people to use the shop, which sells ladies’, babies’ and children’s clothing, underwear and haberdashery, to give it a ‘fighting chance’ of survival.
But Councillor Perks said it was unlikely anything could be done to reduce the rates.
He said the shop was a ‘special place’ known to visitors from across the West Midlands and to tourists from around the world.
Business rates are set by the Valuation Office Agency and collected by local authorities – in this instance Shropshire Council.
According to the VOA the shop has a rateable value of £19,250, which is based in part on the size of its frontage.
Councillor Perks said: “Poyners is in the very unfortunate position where it has a wide shop front and I do not think there is anything that can be done to change the rate. They have been struggling for several months now.
“Other shops on the same street which have a more narrow front but go back deeper are not hit anywhere near as much.
“What myself and Jim are saying now is that at least if we can get people inside this special place and have a Christmas bonanza maybe they will have a fighting chance.
“It is a special place and it is not just people from Ludlow who use the shop. People come from far afield to shop there because of its unique nature – people from Telford and Birmingham and from as far as Singapore and Australia have shopped there.”
Andrew Bennett, spokesman for the VOA, said the rateable value was based on the location of the shop, the size of the frontage and the overall size of the shop. He said business owners could appeal if they believed they were being charged an unfair rate.
The shop opened in 1897 and was first owned by Thomas Williams, but has belonged to the Poyner family for 90 years.
Today it is owned by Michael Poyner, grandson of Jane Goodall who bought the shop while her future husband, Ernest John Poyner, was serving in the First World War.
Miss Goodall made hats on the premises and one she made in the 1920s is still on display at the shop today. She was also heavily involved in civic life and acted as mayoress for her father-in-law Richard Poyner, who was mayor from 1930-32 and in 1934 and 1936.
The town’s Poyner Road and Poyner Close were named after him.
During the Second World War she helped scores of evacuees from Liverpool and Birmingham, many of whom stayed above the shop.
The shop is one of three of the town’s few remaining businesses from yesteryear.
The others are Rickards of Ludlow ironmongers in the Bull Ring and Bodenhams outfitters, which is based on Broad Street.
Comments for: "One of Ludlow’s oldest shops faces closure"
mandy owen
PLEASE IM SURE THERES SOME ONE AT THE COUNCIL CAN HELP SAVE THIS WONDERFUL SHOP IN LUDLOW IF THIS CLOSES WE MAY HAS WELL FORGET LUDLOW WE HAVE NOT GOT ANY THING HERE NOW ITS BECOMING A GHOST TOWN OUR COUNCIL IS GRAG GRAB ALL THE TIME NOW THIS IS GETTING SERIOUS WE HAVE LOST SO MANY SHOPS THIS TOWN NEEDS SAVING NOW AND ALSO THESE LOVELY LADIES WHO RUN THIS SHOP THEY NEED THERE JOBS !!!!!!!
Tracey Swain
This is just the sort of thing that I was decrying the other day. Hearing the government were going to spend thousands on working out why places are closing down. Doing time and money wasting surveys on how best to get people back into the high street. Here is an idea. LOWER THE RENTS. Also charge the charity shops the same amount as other stores after all they are now buying in wholesale to sell,m so they should not be given special treatment any longer. Especially when trading on other shop owners misfortunes. I personally would prefer to see real shops in the high street and town centre than a load of charity shops.
Michael Wilkinson
Business rates, as they are called, are an unfair tax based on a deeply flawed figures.They bare no relation to the businesses ability to pay ,the turnover or profit nor on the amount of service they receive from the local council.Government are responsible for setting the rateable value and it is yet another layer of tax which the shops have to pass on to the customers.
A crass tax set by idiots.
grumpy old man
Fully agree with you, Michael, and now the Government is preaching that we are "out of the recession", we will no doubt see rates rise again and even more shops closing down. You have to wonder who is right when the likes of Comet talk of closing down.
Rai Fisher, Roses & Fishes, Broad Street, Ludlow
Why is there a 'one size fits all' attitude to business rates?
As Michael Wilkinson says, "They bare no relation to the business's ability to pay, the turnover or profit nor on the amount of service they receive from the local council. Government is responsible for setting the rateable value and it is yet another layer of tax which the shops have to pass on to the customers".
Do the people who are responsible for actually setting the rates, ever visit or talk to the businesses involved, or do they just say, "Oh yes, here's a business with a double shop front, we'll charge them an iniquitous amount in council tax, tee hee"? Then when Poyners closes down, I guess we'll see yet another Costa, or some other ghastly chain which will continue to erode what Ludlow has been famous for until lately; its uniqueness. And to add insult to the injury of the poor benighted bloody retailers of Ludlow, we are going to see Sunday parking charges from December 3rd, right before what SHOULD be the busiest time of the year for the shops, thanks to Martin Taylor-Smith and his gang.
What the hell is Graeme Perks talking about as well? Of course something can be done about the rates set by the valuation office. Write or talk to the valuation office Mr Perks, on behalf of Poyners. Isn't that, amongst other things, what you are in office to do - to help the PEOPLE OF LUDLOW?
Bravo Totnes; Ludlow people need to rise up and stop the bloody medieval control by a few people, that is going on in this wonderful town.
graeme perks
Rest assured, for months we have been speaking to the valuation office. Added costs like mindless vanalism to the window on Saturday nights! helps no one least the staff who are working so hard.
graeme perks
Valuation Office have been contacted - whilst we wait for common sense lets get more trade to pay for this!
Tony Jones
I have dealt with the valuation office many times and always found them helpful and informative. The rules for rating shops are clear and explained in full on their website. It is not a "one size fits all" system and is not based on turnover, why should it be? The rateable value is based on rents and perhaps it is reflection of the greed of landlords.
When I appealed my rates I found them very helpful and professional and not likely to "tee hee" at anyone. If you ask they will come and see your property. Best thing that Poyners can do is lodge an appeal.
graeme perks
Shame about the damage to the window on Saturday night. Rest assured we have been talking to the valauation office for months - we are still hopeful that common sense prevails.