Tag Archive for: Business Community

Wimbledon Businesses Helping the Community

We like to shout about the great work Wimbledon businesses do in the community. This Christmas period was no exception, with businesses coming together to support local people, charities and each other.

 

Community Support

The Alexandra Pub opened its doors once again to around 200 people, who were on their own Christmas Day for a free dinner, drinks and good company.

Morrisons Supermarket donated raffled prizes to St Mary’s Primary School and to the local British Heart Foundation.

The Entertainer held their annual ‘The Big Toy Appeal’, where customers picked a toy to donate to The Salvation Army.

You may have seen The Dons Local Action Group outside supermarkets in Wimbledon. With your support, they helped thousands of households in South West London put food on the table.

Wimbledon Station received over 207 boxes for their Shoebox Appeal to help those who are vulnerable or facing homelessness during Christmas.

Businesses Coming Together

Wimbledon Offices and businesses within Tuition House (including Love Wimbledon!) came together to donate packaged goods to Merton’s Community Fridge for the Big Kitchen Cupboard Clear-out, reducing waste and supporting the community this winter. This initiative has been extended until 1st February 2023.

Wimbledon Guild raised over £19,000 for their Christmas appeal to support older people and families in Merton. This includes the £772 they raised as our guests at Love Wimbledon’s Winterfest 2022.

A big thank you to Uniqlo who kindly provided free heat tech clothing for our Christmas Market stallholders to stay warm during the cold snap.

Uniqlo and Love Wimbledon market stallholders

 

We love good news stories. If your business has something to share please email us at info@lovewimbledon.org.

 

Wimbledon Post Office Wins Award For Service During Covid

Wimbledon’s The Broadway Post Office recently won a ‘We’re Stronger Together’ award for their service during the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

The Broadway Post Office won the Better for Customers category at the Post Office’s ‘We’re Stronger Together’ regional awards for Greater London. These awards recognise efforts made by postmasters across the region to keep branches open during Covid-19 pandemic and serve their community.

The award was presented virtually to Postmaster Atul Bathia who runs The Broadway Post Office, by Post Office Chief Executive Nick Read. Postmasters who operate branches in the Greater London region had the opportunity to share their experience of running their branch during the pandemic and hear directly about the Post Office’s future growth strategy.

Post Office Area Manager Nafisa Huda, said:

“The Broadway Post Office won in this category for their dedication to the customer in challenging circumstances. Despite being short-staffed, the team decided to focus their efforts on limiting the time a customer would have to spend in branch waiting. Additionally the team managed to increase their Drop & Go service to become the branch with the greatest new sign-ups in London. Their dedication to the customers has been recognised by their receipt of many thank you cards and gifts which have flooded into the branch in recent weeks.”

Postmaster Atul Bathia, said:

“I would like to thank my entire staff team both on the Post Office side and retail side who have been fantastic and have worked hard for me through this difficult time. I also have had tremendous help and support from the Post Office Thank you. Finally, I would like to say a special thank you to all my customers who have been supportive, understanding and caring for all of my Team and other customers by keeping each other safe!”

Nick Read, Chief Executive at the Post Office, said:

“I have heard many inspiring stories of postmasters going the extra mile and I have welcomed the opportunity to hear first-hand how postmasters in Greater London have fared during the pandemic including The Broadway. All retailers have been affected and Post Office was no exception. The next few weeks and months will be a critical period as we try and return to a sense of normality. Post Office branches have a vital role to play in supporting their customers and communities, as well as helping small businesses and independent retailers get back on their feet.”

Cash will continue to play a vital part in our economic recovery from Covid-19. Post Office branches are often the last counter in town where businesses can deposit a day’s takings. Currently business deposits are growing between 10 – 20% week on week.

For small businesses, being able to get goods out to customers is key. Post Office’s ‘Drop and Go’ parcel service has seen a 70% increase in use month on month. Last month, Post Office reactivated its online foreign exchange service and its branch pre-order operation. Customers planning trips abroad can order over 60 currencies online for next day home delivery or collection from all 11,500 Post Office branches. The option to collect in-branch helps increase footfall at our branches and on the UK’s High Streets.

The Broadway Post Office is based at 89 The Broadway, Wimbledon – pop in, show your support to a fellow business owner and #LoveLocal.

Businesses Asking the Questions

Ahead of the General Election, Labour and Conservative politicians wanted to engage with businesses and provide a platform for local businesses to get their voices heard. We were pleased to be able to provide this opportunity for local businesses to meet the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, John McDonnell, and the current Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sajid Javid.

 

In an effort to get the business voices of Wimbledon heard, Rt Hon Sajid Javid recently visited the town, providing a platform for local businesses to question the current Chancellor of the Exchequer. Topics covered included infrastructure projects, employment and business tax. Naturally, mention of Brexit was also raised on several occasions. A range of businesses attended from retail to accountancy, the built environment to tech, enabling a discussion of the challenges that face different businesses in the area, both now and in the future.

In order to ensure a bright future for Wimbledon, Love Wimbledon lobby on a range of policies that could influence Wimbledon Town Centre, including Crossrail2 and Business Rates. This gave us the opportunity to wave the Wimbledon flag and that of our business community.

With the help of Love Wimbledon, Labour politician and Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, John McDonnell, also met with Wimbledon businesses.

A variety of small to medium businesses attended from different sectors and discussed issues around the broadband strategy, the future for the construction industry, employment issues, access to finance and land value tax to replace business rates.

Love Wimbledon BID is very keen to help our businesses to have their voice heard at strategic forums on the key issues affecting them, whilst also keeping Wimbledon town centre highlighted as a strong and attractive business base.