SIOP HAVARDS
THE FIRST COMMUNITY OWNED HARDWARE SHOP IN BRITAIN
Shwmae Bawb/ Hello All!
Team Havards Here! Bringing you up to date with what's been happening since Xmas and the New Year and what's going to happen in the next few weeks in the lead up to Easter.
Firstly it's good to report that the run up to Xmas was very busy - particuarly with Xmas related products e.g. short stemmed wine glasses (which are apparently just the right size for dishwashers). It was also busy between Xmas and New Year and into early January, with the Masterclass cookware in particular flying off the shelves.
Also, if you remember the beach trolleys we successfully offered in the summer? Well, we took an order for two more at Xmas - apparently being given as presents to visiting family members. And during February half term we were selling swimwear, towelling beach robes, beach toys as well as some wetsuites too: wet day activities on the beach happens in February as well as August! Talking of wetness - our stock of wellies has been in big demand over the last few weeks as you might expect after the challenging weather we've had.
And the darker days over Winter have seen a big increase in demand for the domestic candles we offer, and thanks to the snow that hit us in January, our stock of Rock Salt has all but sold out.
Right now, although the hedgerows and trees are still bare, as we're selling so much bird seed at the moment our feathered friends are surely giving us a clear sign that Spring is just round the corner. And in preparation for the planting season, we have spruced up and restocked our Mr Fothergill's display of annuals and perrenials as well as vegetable seeds.
Havards also took part in the Town’s Shop Window competition, which ran on St. David’s Day. We're looking forward to the start of the Easter holidays at the end of March - please make sure to visit us to see what we're offering as >Easter Specials and how we can help all housholders in Trefdraeth town and further afield to prepare for the arrival of friends and family as well as our very many visitors.
We're looking forward to seeing you soon and don't forget you can call us to preorder your household needs at any time.
BUSINESS NEWS
Investor news
The trading over Xmas as well as January and February has been positive and is in advance of the equivalent period in 22/23 - although some of the increase is likely to have been because of inflation, the indications are that Siop Havards has performed well over what is traditionally a very busy followed by a quiet period.
Plans for Our Building Work
We are currently considering and discussing with the appropriate authorities about what we do with the 1st and 2nd floors. Our options include either a mix of retail/storage space on the 1st and 2nd floors or retail/storage space on the 1st floor and a one bedroom flat on the 2nd floor.
The final decision is very much dependent on a number of building regulations that we're discussing with the planning department. Once this is decided we can then progress with the bottom floor extension that we already have planning permission for. We have hopefully lined up a local builder to do this work for us.
So this is very much 'work in progress' - but we hope to be able to bring you more news in the next few weeks.
PRODUCT NEWS
NEW: 3 Different Colours for Havards Mugs
Recently arrived - we have a selection of different coloured china mugs celebrating Siop Havards as the first community owned hardware strore in Great Britain.
Costing £10.95 you can chose between red, blue or green as you can see in the photo. An ideal gift or as a refresh for some of those tired mugs in your cupboard: they make a great cup of tea!
NEW: IDILICA Kitchen and Table Ware
Made from a range of easy to maintain materials, the pastel coloured IDILICA range is brand new to Siop Havards:
The chopping board is made from beech wood and costs £16.95, the mugs (£6.99 each) and pasta bowls (£32.90 for 4) are stoneware and the 5 piece utensil set (£23.50) is silicone with beechwood handles.
Short Stemmed Wine Glasses
These proved to be particularly popular at Xmas time - particularly as the shorter stems allowed them to be safely put into the dishwasher. We thought it would be well worth bringing this to your attention with Easter just 4 weeks away. These cost £12.60 for a set of 4
Bin Bags
Pembrokeshire County Council have announced that they will no longer provide households with an annual supply of free grey general rubbish bags: instead houseolds will have to provide their own.
Siop Havards has the answer: we can supply rolls of 20 tie-top, super tear resistant, black bin bags made from 100% recycled UK waste farm plastic. These cost £3.99 per roll or just 20p each
Fothergill's Seeds - Flowers and Vegetables
As you can see from the photo, Siop-Havards has a fully stocked, comprehensive selection of seeds ready for you. Packets cost from £1.79 to £4.99 per packet depending on your selection.
Garden Twine
We're offering a 3 pack of Cardoc Gaden Twine for £10.20 in three colours. Perfect for managing those seedlings that grow so fast and need bringing back under control!
Seed Potatoes
We're also able to offer this season's seed potatoes: Maris Piper, Nicola, Sarpomira and Harmony. These are priced at £5.99 each for a 2kg bag.
SPECIAL OFFER: Olympia 600W Hammer/Rotary Drill
This corded model is on offer at £29.99 (cheaper than B&Q!). It has a keyless chuck, forward and reverse settings, speed preselection as well as both hammer and rotary drilling. It also comes with a 2 year guarantee.
Repairing Sewing Machines / Knife Sharpening / IT Repairs / Shoe Repairs
Finally, a reminder that this repair service is still available using local experts in Cardigan and Fishguard
If you require any of these services, please call John Harries on 07804 487642 to discuss and make arrangements. Please note we can’t yet offer to re-sharpen saws.
Everything is charged at cost – we add nothing to the price quoted.
STAFF AND VOLUNTEER NEWS
Assistant Manager Opportunity
For personal reasons Vic is looking to step back from her role of Assistant Manager and reduce her hours. If everything goes to plan Vic will stay involved with Siop Havards by becoming our Volunteer Co-Ordinator.
We are already advertising in the Western Telegraph, the Teifyside, www.indeed.com as well as in the shop itself.
Ideally we're looking for candidates with a background in retail, having worked and managed in both paid and voluntary organisations - preferably in hardware or a related area. We're looking for both strong people skills and administrative skills, including IT and book keeping. Experience of dealing with the wholesale trade would be an advantage.
If you or anyone you might know is interested to her more about this opportunity you can see a short job description here Job Posting - Assistant Manager
Applications should be sent by 28th March to: Secretary@siophavards.cymru
Thank you for your help!
SIOP HAVARDS ADMIN
Share Certificates
As promised in the Xmas Newsletter, all Siop Havards Members were e-mailed a digital copy of their Share Certificate. In addition hard copies were printed for distribution by post to everyone without an address in Trefdraeth and available from Havards itself for everyone with an address in the town.
There are still about 50 unclaimed certificates at Siop Havards - if you haven't picked up yours yet, next time you're visiting Siop Havards do please ask a member of staff to retrieve yours from the office where they are being guarded closely.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
St David's Day Window Competition
As with many of the town's shops, cafes and hostelleries, Siop Havards was invited by Ysgol Bro Ingli to take part in a St David's Day window dressing competion. As you can see, apart from the window design featuring yellow Marigold gloves and the Welsh flag, Clare took this occasion to heart and became a human daffodil for the inspection (good one Clare!). As we go to press, although the results aren't in, we do hope we'll be high up in their reckoning but we know there'll be stiff competition!
The Youth Club
In December last year Siop Havards held a raffle in support of Trefdraeth's Youth Club, organised by Emma Argall. We raised a grand total of £229
Many thanks to everyone who took part and to our contributors from Trefdraeth and further afield who included:
The Pharmacy, The Wholefood Shop, Ffynnon, The Post Office, The Natural Health Centre, Angel House Newsagents, The Art Collective, Rose Seymore @ CODI, Washday Laundrette, Clive Hooper, Karen Harwood and Tesco Cardigan
The winners of the Christmas Hamper were Mr and Mrs Morton; 2nd prize of a Tesco Sweet Treats Hamper was won by Elaine Lloyd; 3rd prize was won by Rona Griffiths; 4th prize was won by Havards' Sue Gillooley.
Helen Williams and Lynne Cain of the Youth Club said: "We want to thank Emma, Harvards and everyone who bought the raffle tickets that supported our Youth Club. We have bought a very fancy toastie/waffle/kebab grill, which has been tested and much appreciated by the children, especially as with the money we received, we don't have to charge them for food. There are also new colouring pens and crayons. We are delighted and very grateful. If anyone feels inspired to email or contact Pembs CC, voicing support for your Youth Club, it may be a great help. Thank you for your support."
The Wholefood Shop
Siop Havards has provided enthusiastic support to the team of local residents who believe there is an opportunity to purchase this shop for the community. Chris Morgan gave a presentation at the open evening hosted by the project team at the Boat Club in February and promised to share the experiences of the Siop Havards campaign.
To help them gauge the potential interest in the purchase for the community, they'd be very interested to hear the opinions of as wide a cross-section of Trefdraeth's residents and visitors as possible. If you would like to take part in a short survey asking for your views, please click on the following link https://forms.gle/Y6YA5CEHz7k6dNnAA or copy and paste the URL into your browser. Many thanks for your help!
We wish them all the very best in their own campaign.
About this newsletter
The newsletter is no longer included in an email. You are asked to click a link to get to it, as it is now published as a web page. You should find this now reads much better on a phone or any device with a small screen.
And Lastly…………
Diolch/Thank you for your continued interest and generosity; it is very much appreciated.
The Siop Havards Team
PS: Members and new investors: You can still help by investing and thereby become a member. Full details are on our Investment page.