Power of the People – Croydon people backs SOS.

 

 

 

Fashion Enter, sister company to the UKs leading fashion portal www.fashioncapital.co.uk, has been engaged in a long drawn out dispute with Croydon Councils Commercial RatesDepartment. When Fashion Enter first opened their boutique in March 2006 the Council insisted any decision for their application of Discretionary Rates could not be made until after the boutique's first year of trading… Fashion Enter found this incredulous but after support from a third party the boutique continued to operate. It then took a further year of wrangling to be told that Discretionary Rates would not be granted so an appeal was launched by Fashion Enter and then finally in September 2008 the appeal was rejected again.

 

"I can not understand it" Director Jennifer Holloway commented " We have asked for an explanation why we have been rejected Discretionary Rates when this is a Croydon based shop for Croydon's creative people to give them a chance of becoming a designer by selling in our boutique. With all the current reports of poor retail trading from the high street giants such as M&S, Next and even John Lewis Partnership you would think the Council would want to support the independent trader especially as this is a regeneration area and the Council have been awarded £28m for enterprise through the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative scheme".

 

 

 

 

Fashion Enter has engaged directly with the public at many levels with Croydon including running their highly successful campaign The Face of Croydon which saw Kym Whittle recently jetted off to New York in September, fashion projects with Croydon College and Topshop, Eco bag projects again with Topshop, working with local schools such as Virgo Fidelis and Westwood Lamguage Cllege for Girls and supporting anyone who wants to be in design and set up a real business. . One such business is a company called Harsh.

 

 

 

 

www.harsh.tv

Greetings to all Concern

 

My name is Harsharan Landa and I am a Croydon Based Business who has recently been awarded a loan by Croydon Enterprise loan fund.

 

I Head my Fashion Label 'Harsh' Which has had great success since meeting with my mentor Jenny Holloway she has helped turn my passion with ideas on paper into a thriving business.

 

without her support, help and guidance my ideas would just be that 'on paper' She has just secured a deal with ASOS for my Harsh Handbags to be Launched on the 31st October 2008.

 

She has also arranged a meeting with Head of Concession at Topshop.

 

I also stock in Fashion Enter and always gaining huge amounts of publicity and since being on the Fashion Enter website I have had buyers from New York, Japan and Saudi Arabia contacts me.

 

She puts her whole soul focus on helping Croydon base businesses she is not just a business woman, but a pillar to the local community she has also helped create jobs and competition within Croydon she also has helped support the local schools and colleges.

 

Jenny Holloway, her business and her great team are an asset to Croydon and I am really upset by the fact that all the hard work that Jenny and her team has put in to investing in people of Croydon will simply be a lost shame.

 

I feel that without Jenny and her Team backing businesses in Croydon it will be like removing the foundation in which many businesses stand upon.

 

I would be more than happy to discuss this further if need be please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my email.

 

Offering QUALITY business advice comes at a high cost and as such in both years of trading Fashion Enter has made a loss, all staff. Including the Directors is on minimal salaries.

 

"Our company is quite a complicated business model and as such we have to run separate profit and loss centres for all our activities. With our boutique in Barking the Barking and Dagenham (B&D) Regeneration team supports us completely and have paid for our rent, rates and service charge for our boutique at Vicarage Field. Here at Croydon absolutely zilch direct support for the boutique despite in the early days of opening being promised all kinds of direct support. In B&D we also ran the Face of B&D and was awarded £20,000 by the LEGI team there compared with BID and CB who put in £2,500. We therefore totally lost money on this project on the stage, the PA, guest speakers for the week long seminars and so on. How can two LEGI areas operate so completely differently? This is why we have also written to Gordon Brown too and considering raising a formal complaint against Croydon Business and Croydon Enterprise to the Government Office of London." Jenny Holloway further expressed.

 

 

 

 

The majority of people from yesterdays SOS campaign were completely unaware of the work undertaken by Fashion Enter believing that the boutique was just a normal commercial concern. Over a 1000 people have now signed the SOS campaign to allow Fashion Enter to stay in Centrale and obtain Discretionary Rates and they have received some excellent support. Yesterday Chocolate Bonde, the talented singer, came to the boutique and gave an impromptu performance. Monica said:

 

 

 

 

"I just don't understand it – whats the matter with the Council! I come all the way from Walthamstow to shop here for unique outfits for when I am performing with my band and they are all such good people. They all work for a pittance of money and help anyone and everyone who just wants to be in fashion. The Croydon people I have met today just think that the council have lost the plot…. so do I for that matter. It's just ridiculous."

 

Some of the boutiques customers have been so shocked by the potential closure that they have put pen to paper…. Shirley Clark writes

 

Dear Emily

 

I was so sorry to hear that you are closing down that I had to write a letter to support you. I have been shopping for years at Fashion Enter and have been always amazed by its wonderful and inspirational designers. This is one small independent retailer that offers some choice and something new rather than the homogenous high street.

 

Why can't the Council grant you rate relief? I don't understand it! With all the work you do with schools, the community, connections abroad with New York and South Africa what on earth is the matter with the council?

 

I was even more horrified to hear that the Council have been given over £22m to spend on regenerating Croydon and its boroughs – isn't this what Fashion Enter is all about, helping the community to become more enterprising?

 

What a golden opportunity wasted if you leave. You certainly have my support and I will tell my other friends about you and what you are doing to your boutique so you get their support too.

 

Best of luck and don't give up

 

Yours sincerely

Shirley Clark

 

 

 

 

Fashion Enter have now vowed to fight on and respectfully request the Council to grant Discretionary Rates for the Enter boutique at Centrale so they can continue their work in Croydon. The petition will be submitted shortly directly to the council and if needed further action will be taken at regional and national level.

 

 

 

 

Fashion Enter would sincerely like to thank all the support they have received from the wonderful people of Croydon and beyond.