(reposted from Adur and Worthing Council website)
Independent traders are bucking the trend in Southwick Square as retailers thrive from the much-welcomed support from locals and Adur District Council.
While the COVID pandemic has accelerated the decline of many high streets areas across the UK, Southwick Square goes from strength to strength.
The area - most of which is owned by the Council - has grown in recent years with independent shops and national brands operating side by side to create an offer which draws in local residents and visitors from farther afield.
Popular spots include the florist, butchers, opticians and coffee and sandwich shops while the Co-Op and WH Smith offer a more recognisable offer to shoppers.
They have now been joined by a new-and-improved Post Office, which opened this month, after the Council welcomed a new tenant on a revised lease.
The re-opening of the vital community service follows the successful launch of The Southwick Greengrocer in November in another Council-owned unit.
Councillor Angus Dunn, Adur's Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Resources, said:
“As a local resident it's been fantastic to see Southwick Square go from strength-to-strength in the past few years.
“We've worked hard to ensure there is a really good mix of businesses on the square, with a broad selection of shops and services available in order to serve our community.
“I'm really pleased to see the return of the Post Office, which is an integral part of any shopping area. It will compliment the strong group of traders we already have, and with the new longer opening hours, we are certain residents will make much use of it.”
The new Post Office is open from 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday, and 9am to 5pm on Saturdays.
Like many of the other properties at Southwick Square, the Council provides leases on a commercial basis.
The rents received then provide an income to the authority which supports the delivery of key services across the district.
It's something which is attractive to local business owners, such as Nick Herriott, who opened The Southwick Greengrocer last autumn.
Mr Herriott said:
“Already, we have become an important part of the Southwick Square community. It's a special place for many reasons, including the genuine appreciation people have for all of the business in the square and in the modern day, it's rare to have such a thriving and successful shopping precinct.
“Our business has grown in popularity in the local area and also in the wider area, as we now deliver to Southwick, Mile Oak, Shoreham, Lancing, Sompting and Worthing, which is just fantastic.
“The Post Office re-opening is the missing piece of the jigsaw, and from speaking to other business owners and customers, I know it will be a huge asset to the square and one that has been sorely missed.”
The Council offers a range of support to town centre businesses, which includes access to a range of government COVID support grants and business rate relief.
A campaign to support the reopening of the town centre when restrictions on non-essential retail lift is also planned to help encourage visitors to safely use the district's high streets.
Photo: Some of the trader shops on part of Southwick Square, including the Post Office, which has now been replaced by a new owner
