Opening on Sundays could help ‘make up for shortfalls' say Cirencester traders

With many independent shops having endured a difficult few months due to the redevelopment works temporarily hampering the footfall in the town centre, a number of traders at the newly established monthly Retail Forum meeting on Monday proposed the idea to coincide with the New Year.

The traditional trading week in Cirencester is currently Tuesday to Saturday, though some do already open on Sunday and Monday.

"Everyone has to pay their rent which stretches over seven days a week,” said Paul Brock, owner of Brocks clothing shop. “But hardly anybody's open on a Sunday.

“Consequently, nobody comes to Cirencester on a Sunday. It's all closed.”

He said opening an extra day could help ‘make up for the shortfalls of previous months’.

"Make sure all the parking's free, that's another incentive, and bring people to Cirencester,” he added.

Mayor Mark Harris, who chaired the meeting, said he would be happy to give support to retailers with the potential concept, as well as inviting the Chamber of Commerce to get involved.

However, Chris Roche, manager of Thirty-Six menswear, said everyone in town must get behind promoting the new look town centre in order for trade to pick up.

"In general, I think everyone is here because they've had quite a tough year,” he said.

“Everyone here, traders, town council, the newspaper, we need to all now get the word out in Cirencester and go for it.

“Develop a general consensus in the town and the surrounding towns, not that the Market Place is a death trap, that it's bad for business.”

Cllr Harris went on to say that the district council is getting closer to agreeing on a site for multi-storey parking.

He said: “We're at the pre-application stage with a site which is probably no secret to anybody.

“We want to go to pre-application consultation with the public in the first or second week of January, and our aspiration there is to probably produce about 500 car parking spaces.”