Town high street shops go online

Caldicot traders hope a virtual high street will help local business

Traders in a Monmouthshire town are setting up a virtual high street to fight supermarket competition.

Several shops trading in Caldicot have signed up to a website which gives people the chance to use local shops online.

William Seward came up with the idea of poptotheshops.net after frustration at not being able to shop locally because of time constraints.

The goods are delivered to the customer at a time that suits them.

It gives the customers who simply don't have the time to get to their local shops the chance to buy their goods locally and online William Seward

Mr Seward said he became "fed up at having to spend two hours on a Saturday shopping in a supermarket".

"We are never going to re-address the balance or get rid of supermarkets but what I wanted to do was help regenerate the community.

"I wanted to give people who are working too late to get to the local shops the chance to shop locally because it really does benefit the community.

"So I set up the website with the idea that it suits the customer."

So far 11 businesses from the town have signed up to the service, which is due to launch in October.

William Seward wants it to be easy to shop locally

The idea is to deliver to people living in or near Caldicot, with the postcode NP26.

"People can go to the website and go to the butcher and then the baker or whatever and pick what they want and put it into their cart and after they've done all their shopping they pay at the end.

"They don't have to pay each individual shop. And then they select a delivery time that is convenient for them - anytime from 11 in the morning until nine at night.

"The retailers' response has been really good - they are getting an online shop space for free with a percentage of their sales going to the website. If they don't sell anything, they don't have to pay any extra for the space.

"And it gives the customers who simply don't have the time to get to their local shops because they are working or whatever the chance to buy their goods locally and online."

The shops are able to update their products themselves and there is a system in place to prevent over-ordering.

Customers will be able to get their good delivered at home

Mr Seward said some shops not in the high street had been signed up from nearby Newport. They are a fishmonger and a greengrocer, while the search is on for a bakery.

There have been fears in Caldicot that supermarket competition could force local traders out of business, but there are hopes the website will help the shops fight back.

One of the retailers who has signed up to the idea is Clarkes Butchers.

Caroline Rae, who owns the business with her husband Allan, said: "We were a bit sceptical about it at first because I don't shop online and didn't realise just how many people do.

"But after I did some research I was amazed at how many people do their shopping online and we thought that it would offer us the opportunity of expanding our business.

"There really does seem to be a demand for online shopping."