East Budleigh Community Shop
Minutes of the Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 18th March 2015 at 19.00
1.
Chairman’s Welcome - Approval of Minutes and Report
Present:
John Tresidder (Chair), Judith Venning, Fiona Ward (Committee), Mel Ferrers, Anne
Davies (Managers). There were 27 members present including the committee, thus the meeting was
quorate.
Apologies for absence: Mr and Mrs Florey, Paul Smith, Mr and Mrs Blackwell, Jane Selwyn, Mr House,
Brian Marshall, Mr and Mrs Rainford, Mr and Mrs Canning.
John Tresidder welcomed all the members and Viv Price and Jill Gladstone from the Otterton Shop. He
reported that the shop is in very good health thanks to our great team. We could always use more
volunteers – in the shop or growing village veg or making and selling cakes. We were not just coasting,
and would welcome new ideas!
Approval of Minutes of last AGM:
Proposer: Tony Venning Seconder: Mrs House
Approved unanimously by a show of hands.
Adoption of Annual Report:
Proposer: Barbara Watson Seconder: Joyce Knivett
Approved unanimously by a show of hands.
Mr Tchernoff paid tribute to the committee and volunteers and said that this project, launched by
Malcolm Florey was something of a social landmark. He would like to encourage use of solar energy.
2.
Annual Accounts
John Tresidder reported that our financial affairs had become more complicated over the years, and we
had now engaged Sovereign Accountancy to deal with our payroll, accounts, tax returns. The aim was to
make things quicker and easier for our volunteers. With the change to a report from an independent
accountant rather than a full audit, there was no overall cost increase. Paul Smith had done a great job
as Finance Officer and was thanked by all.
Adoption of Annual Accounts & Balance Sheet:
3.
Proposer: Mr A Tchernoff Seconder: Mr C Abram
Approved unanimously by a show of hands.
Disposition of Surplus
The chairman reported that we had achieved a surplus of £13,502 and that we were about to complete
the shop shelving and extend the concrete at the side of the shop to make it safer and cleaner. We had
repaid all bonds requested, but many bondholders had very generously waived the first £50. A total of
£2,500 had been waived, leaving a balance of around £2,000. We were now engaged in balancing
prices/promotions/profit margin which would reduce the surplus whilst maintaining our reserve of
£8,000 as members voted last year. No member proposed any alteration to the reserve or membership
fee (£5 to join, no annual fee). Nick Ward congratulated the committee on their drive to balance the
surplus with price reductions and promotions to give the community the best value.
4.
Appointment of Auditor 2014/2015
Jim Bick had resigned as Auditor and he was sincerely thanked by John Tresidder for his work and
support of the shop. Guided by advice from our accountants and the Plunkett Foundation our accounts
have now been certified by a report from independent reporting accountant, David Cadwallader and
Sons. There was a potential saving of time and costs in this arrangement.
Approval of the appointment of Cadwallader and Sons as reporting accountants
Proposer: Tony Venning
Seconder: John Knivett
Approved unanimously by a show of hands.
5. Election of Management Committee (Rule 33 All members of the Committee have to stand down)
Standing for re-election: Kevin Quant, Paul Smith, John Tresidder, Fiona Ward, Judith Venning.
No other nominations had been received, although the new committee could co-opt members.
Proposal to elect nominees en bloc:
6.
Proposer: Mr A Tchernoff Seconder: Mrs M Lomas
Approved unanimously by a show of hands.
Shop Manager’s Report
Mel Ferrers thanked everyone for their help and support. The committee was fantastic, and without
volunteers there would be no shop! They are the heart of the shop – we now have 43, with 20 others in
supporting roles from newsletter and cleaning to Father Christmas! We were very sad to lose two longstanding volunteers this year.
She and Anne Davies were now working to balance the profit margins with some basic price cuts and
new promotions like the Loyalty Card. In the last three weeks, 23 cards had been redeemed but one
customer spent £20 and then gave his discount to a charity box. They had been to two food fairs and
some great new products are on the way – including Organic Fudge, Luscombe Drinks and Marshfield
Ice creams. There were 65,900 transactions last year, sales were well up and the average sale was £3.38.
Tiffin sales were an incredible £1,395! Village Veg sales, coffee machine sales, pet food and stationery
sales were all up, often because we had much more space for display. Tribute was paid to Alan Rainford
for all his hard work, enthusiasm and buying skills as our Licensee.
7.
Shop Issues
Tony Venning commented that we needed to operate for longer to get more reliable information on
profit margins. Did the Otterton Shop opening have any effect? Mel replied that there is room for all!
Sarah House asked if we had seasonal spikes in trade? Mel said some sales are seasonal but we were
busy all the year round now. Nick Ward commented that he saw more people sitting outside, which is a
good thing, and he thought the shop had made a real difference to the community – can we develop
further? We were looking at local crafts and at school contacts. Charles Abram thanked the shop
members for all their support with his very sad bereavement.
Closing remarks: The Chairman was fascinated to see how just many people have contributed to our
success in so many ways. From Committee to staff, volunteers, members – and customers – all part of
the team. We have a truly viable and successful shop, we won’t stand still but will always be looking for
ways to improve. Unlike many supermarkets we value our customers and look after our local suppliers.
He thanked all the members for coming tonight and helping us to do that.