Leave the miscellaneous goods to us! Strakonice saved their business

"This shop belongs to the Strakonice, please keep it, it wouldn't be the same without it. One of the few traditional ones left to us," comments Ludmila Nováková in a Facebook discussion.

Other discussants mainly praise the range of goods on offer, one customer got a two-piece roasting pan for ducks there, which he couldn't find elsewhere. They created a local petition to prevent the store from being cancelled. The authors managed to get 1,071 signatures.

"That's quite enough for a fortnight. I decided to make a petition, and when I told the shop assistants about it, they replied that someone else was already there with her. That one was paper, so I created another one, electronic on the Internet," explains Jan Nachtigal, a member of the petition committee. The paper part was procured by the local painter Miloslav Brůha. She received the decisive number of signatures. A Facebook group was also created where authors share information.

"We especially appreciate the fact that the range of, say, four types of specialized stores collide in the store. I needed a grate for the boiler or a brush for the chimney, and they had that too. I don't need to go to the hardware store, gardening supplies, kitchen supplies and others," describes the opinion of a resident of Nachtigal, who comes to the store mainly for things for the cottage. Now the authors will officially hand over the sheets to the Unity of Volhynia and the Strakon Town Hall.

Strakonic also values ​​the tradition of the establishment. It has been operating in the location since the 1940s and was the very first cooperative store in the Strakonice district. That is why, according to some, it has its charm.

However, this is not enough for her to make a living. Nevertheless, the team decided to give her one more chance.

"If it was purely about the economic side of things, we would simply close down. In the age of large multinational chains, it is difficult for us to compete with and maintain a small industrial shop, where we regularly lose. In addition, we already have a problem keeping small shops in the countryside. Thanks to the response of customers in the petition, we decided to try it on Palackého náměstí," confirms Roman Slamka, chairman of Jednota Volyně.

Turnover fell by three million crowns

They were supposed to close the entrance at the end of May, there were people interested in renting the premises. The company that supplies part of the goods to the store was interested, as well as the existing tenant on the building's floor who sells furniture. Since 2015, the cooperative's turnover has decreased by more than three million crowns.

That is why it gave clear conditions for further traffic. It introduced a measure that is intended to dampen the economic disadvantage. And customers will feel it too. "First of all, we will slightly reduce the amount of goods sold. We also have to deal with personnel and reduce the number of employees, which goes hand in hand with shortening the opening hours," Slamka calculates.

The further fate of the store will be discussed at the cooperative in three months and then in half a year. They will decide whether it is worth maintaining it further. "Then we will be guided by the purely economic side," he points out.

Are you interested in what is happening in the regions?

For the price of one issue, you get all regional supplements.

The management of the Strakon town hall is also aware of the petition. It was decided to read it at the next meeting of the city council in June.

"We approach it in such a way that it is an entrepreneur who, of course, is thinking about what to do with the store, which already has to subsidize. The problem in this case is that many people go to the store, but already with bags of purchases from large stores. In short, it's a kind of last resort for them, where they can get what they don't have elsewhere," Strakonic mayor Břetislav Hrdlička assesses the situation.

He reminds that people rarely use the parking available in the yard of the house. Representatives will appeal to residents to support local businesses by reading a petition.

"It's not just about this store, others have already ended up like this in the city center. People have to show that they care about the functioning of businesses all the time, not just when signing petitions. Otherwise, small shops will disappear," states the mayor.