Recession in 2009 could 'devastate' town's shopping centre

THE shopping centre of Minehead could be 'devastated' as the recession claims more retail victims in 2009.
Insolvency experts have warned that more than 10 national or regional retail chains risk going bust during January alone - on top of those which have already gone into administration.
And locally, The Post has been told of up to five Minehead town centre outlets which could soon be lost - not including Woolworths, which will close on January 5.
The gloomy news comes on top of predictions that unemployment nationally will hit three million this year.
Nick Hood, a partner in Begbies Traynor, the UK’s leading business rescue, recovery, and restructuring specialist, said few retailers would have made profits during the Christmas trading period because of discounting.
The profits made at this time of year often helped retailers stay afloat for the rest of the year.
But Mr Hood said: “The problem facing the management of retail chains is whether they can find funding to restock in January, pay their VAT bills, and survive through until Christmas starts again next October.”
He said retailers now faced the danger that banks and suppliers which were prepared to support them over Christmas might no longer be willing to do so.
Retailers were also particularly vulnerable in January because they often had more cash and less stock than at any other time of the year, so it was a prime time for creditors to force them into administration.
Although The Post has names of local branches of retailers supposedly ‘at risk’, we have decided not to publish them.
Locally, Minehead Chamber of Commerce has urged West Somerset residents to shop locally and support traders.
Chamber spokesman Graham Sizer said every pound spent in local shops would circulate several times before the money was taken out of the area.

Small business of the year accolade for Paddocks Farm team

A WEST Somerset/Taunton Deane firm specialising in natural parasite control is celebrating after scooping the highly prestigious Somerset small business of the year award.
Paddocks Farm Partnership, in Huish Champflower, which trades as Verm-X, was founded six years ago by Philip Ghazala.
It now employs five people in a range of tasks from sales to marketing and distribution.
The firm has become the established leader in natural parasite control and has a range of products for many different animals from horses to poultry, cows, pigs, and sheep to alpacas, cats, and dogs.
Paddocks Farm Partnership won in the category for up to five employees at the Somerset Business of the Year annual awards, run by the Somerset Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Small Businesses.
The award was presented in front of an audience of 150 business guests in the offices of WPA, in Taunton.
Mr Ghazala said: “We were absolutely delighted to win the award.
“It is very much a team effort at Paddocks Farm Partnership and seeing the business grow and develop over the last six years has been very rewarding.
“The judges felt Paddocks Farm Partnership was an innovative farm diversification with an environmentally friendly ethos and when our name was read out it made all the hard work very worthwhile.
“We are the only company in the world that exclusively focuses on producing natural parasite control for animals and are very proud that Paddocks Farm Partnership is a 100 per cent natural formulation.”

• Our photo shows (left to right) Paddocks Farm Partnership managing director Philip Ghazala, marketing assistant Ellie Pitts Tucker, office assistant Amy Ghazala, operations manager Nicola Wigley, Lloyds TSB representative Andy Holway, and BBC presenter Sally Challenor. Photo contributed.

BUSINESS NEWS: Samson honours Somerset’s ‘businesses of the year’

A West Somerset firm was among a trio of Somerset’s top businesses which were honoured for their achievements in the past year thanks to award-winning Samson Office Supplies.
The three firms were judged to be Somerset’s best small, medium, and large businesses of 2008 in an awards ceremony co-hosted by Somerset Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Small Businesses.
Samson Office Supplies - which itself was ‘business of the year’ in 2006 - sponsored the awards evening and managing director Jonathan Rice also presented additional prizes to the winners.

• The small business winner was Paddocks Farm Partnership Ltd, of Huish Champflower, which is the world’s only company solely focusing on natural parasite control in animals
  
• The medium size winner was fine food producer The Bay Tree Food Company, in Evercreech, near Shepton Mallet
  
• The large business winner was Bridgwater charity The Brainwave Centre, which offers personalised therapy programmes for children with disabilities

As well as sponsoring the awards event, Samson Office Supplies also supplied prizes for the three Somerset businesses of the year category winners and presented each winner with vouchers and state-of-the-art shredding machines.
Samson Office Supplies managing director Jonathan Rice said: “Having previously won ‘business of the year’ ourselves, we know exactly what it takes and what it means for a company to win one of these awards.
“So, we were delighted to be asked by the chamber to sponsor this year’s ceremony and to come up with prizes for the main category winners, each of which has clearly proven itself to be an exceptional company in its field.
“From our base in Ilminster, we despatch office equipment and supplies from our stock of more than 16,000 products on a daily basis to companies large and small throughout Somerset and beyond - so many of the 150 business people who attended the awards ceremony were already known to us.”
More information about Samson Office Supplies, which is based in Ilminster, is available by telephoning 01460 55000 or visiting www.samsonofficesupplies.co.uk.
Samson Office Supplies also holds Beacon Status awarded by the South West Regional Development Agency, and the British Office Supplies and Services Federation Dealer Excellence Award for three successive years.

• Our photograph shows Samson Office Supplies managing director Jonathan Rice (centre) with (left to right) Brainwave Centre head of finance and administration Andrew Glass, chief executive David Davies, and trustee Anne Fraser, The Bay Tree Food Co general manager Nigel Hodgson, and Paddocks Farm Partnership marketing and liaison manager Ellie Pitts-Tucker, warehousing manager Amy Ghazala, operations manager Nic Wigley, and director Philip Ghazala. Photo submitted.