Whitton Town Centre Manager

Business Direct - April 2019

There are currently three Town Centre Manager posts around the borough, in addition to local BIDS and the Business Associations in each town. Business associations tend to be open membership organisations that form to provide community support, networking opportunities and general business promotion for a particular area. Over the next few months we are going to be meeting a host of business representatives, giving you an insight into each person and organisation – hopefully giving a little bit of inspiration for the future!

Meet Graeme Wood, the Chairman of the Whitton Business Association (WBA) aka: Love Whitton.

What is your background and how long have you been representing local businesses?

I have run my own business based in Whitton for 26 years, renting, selling and repairing disco equipment. Four years ago, the changing times forced me to close the retail side of the business, but I still operate a very busy and successful rental business.

I have been on the periphery of the Whitton Business Association for a few years before taking on the chairman role in August 2018.

What does your role involve?

My role, as I see it, is to encourage our local businesses to join, whether they be retail business or home based, and help them grow and flourish through these uncertain times. Also, the community is a huge part of Whitton, so it is my aim to knit business and community together and try to get everyone feeling like they have some sort of ownership of their village.

What are some of the difficulties you face in the job and what do you enjoy best about your role?

One of the main difficulties we have is trying to encourage those businesses who are not based on the High Street to join us. Historically the WBA was very High Street orientated. However, with such a huge number of self-employed and home workers in our area, I feel it is very important to get them on board so that we can offer them all our member benefits.

One of the biggest complaints we get from our members is the ever-increasing rent and rates. Sadly, these increases have already forced several our smaller businesses to close.

The thing I enjoy most about this role is that it is a challenge, and I have the opportunity to make a positive impact on both the business and community vibe in Whitton. Also, the events we organise are pretty awesome!

How does the trade in your local area compare to other towns across the borough?

I cannot really comment about parts of the borough I haven’t really had the chance to see what goes on there, however the one thing I hear repeatedly from people in Whitton is that they enjoy the almost continental village feel. We have a nice mix of independent traders and national brands which seems to work very well. The very fact that some of the ‘big name’ businesses have invested in our High Street shows that there is confidence in the area.

Just take a quick walk down the High Street on any given day and you will see a vibrant café culture and busy service providers alongside people doing their weekly shopping trips. 

We are also very proud that all the shops in Whitton are now fully accessible, as is our station, meaning visitors can get to us by train and visit every single business in the High Street. We also have 40 businesses signed up to Sit Stop, where those who need a place to rest for 10 minutes will be given a place to sit down and made to feel welcome.

Whitton can provide you virtually everything you need – there really is no need to go elsewhere!

What new events/activities are planned in your area during 2019?

We run two big events each year, the St George’s Day Parade and Fun Day, and “Light Up Whitton” our Christmas lights event.

We have just had our St Georges’ Day event, which was the biggest and best we have ever put on, with almost 50 market stalls, kiddie’s fairground rides and a dedicated children’s area. The parade was made up of approx. 200 children from local schools, sports clubs and youth groups and a whole range of classic cars, super cars, Harley Davidsons, Scooters, Military Vehicles and even a couple of Stormtroopers.

Our Christmas event will be on Sunday 24 November and will feature performances during the day from local schools, with the finale being provided by the Royal Military School of Music performing some Christmas favourites before the lights get switched on.

We are also looking into the possibility of running a summer fayre in 2020 – watch this space!

All the money raised from these 2 events goes towards paying for our truly wonderful Christmas lights display.

What is the biggest challenge for your local area at the moment and what are you doing to overcome it?

Traffic and parking are both a really big ‘bug bear’ with businesses and residents alike. As well as Whitton Station being fully accessible, it also takes less than half an hour to get into Waterloo, meaning we have a large number of commuters driving into Whitton and parking in the side roads all day, filling up all the residents parking places. Whitton High Street is also very busy and it is often very difficult trying to find somewhere to park. There is a car park but always seems to be fairly full too. As this affects local businesses it is something that I am going to be perusing this year.

Any advice for new business owners just getting started in your area?

Research! Ok, that may seem obvious, but please, before you think Whitton would be a great place for your business, come and visit - several times. Visit other shops and talk to them, contact the WBA and come down to our networking meetings, come onto one of our community Facebook Pages (Whitton Village and Love Whitton) and see what people think of your idea and they would be happy to support you.

If you want to speak to Graeme further about business in Whitton, email info@whittontowncentre.co.uk.

Contact us

If you would like to feature in our next Business Direct newsletter, email business@richmond.gov.uk