Proof the high street is alive and kicking

As one of the owners of Lamats Hardware in Old Town, Leamington I was interested to read the letter from Karen Robison (Postbag last week) who has recently started a business at this end of town. We completely agree with her sentiment that shops at this end of town offer a good range of products and value for money.

We hear a lot about businesses struggling at the moment and welcome the fact that the ridiculous Clarendon Arcade scheme has been shelved. From a strictly personal perspective we have been operating from our shop for over four years now and are currently experiencing our best sales level ever. I hope this gives new business starts like Karen confidence for the future.

I believe we are getting stronger through keen pricing and continual development of the product base. Small businesses can be successful if they listen to the customer and are prepared to change. We are constantly hearing how low our prices are compared to the big shops, so we are proof that the high street is alive and kicking.

When we opened opposite one of the only organic food shops in Leamington called Gaia we were heartened to see how busy they were and this gave us the confidence to grow the business. It taught us the lesson that location is not always the most important factor in achieving good sales. - Paul A Haslam, Lamats Hardware, Regent Place, Leamington.