DIDCOT TRAVEL AGENCY SELLS TO TRIANGLE TRAVEL

Independent travel agent, Triangle Travel, has bought John Allan Travel, Didcot’s long-established independent travel agency.

The agency has been based at 128 Broadway in Didcot for 29 years, and now John Allan who has worked in the travel industry for 50 years intends to retire.

Rob Kenton, Managing Director of Newbury-based Triangle Travel, said:

“John has built up a really strong business over the years and we are honoured that he has entrusted us to take on the stewardship of John Allan Travel. It has an excellent reputation and we very much plan to keep it the same way.”

The addition of this latest store boosts Triangle Travel’s overall network of stores to five, with its other agencies based in Mortimer, Newbury, Pangbourne and Wallingford.

Oxford’s 300-year-old department store could close

Boswell & Co, Oxford’s oldest department store, could close next year after trading for almost 300 years, it has been reported.

Francis Boswell started selling travel goods at 50 Cornmarket Street in 1738 and it is rumoured that Captain Cook took Boswell suitcases on his voyages of discovery.

The business remained in the Boswell family until 1890 after which it was passed to Arthur Pearson, who at that time owned the Oxford Drug Company.

has been an important fixture of our wonderful city for more than 280 years. The owners have a long-term lease on the site and are considering their options.

“The City Council, as the freeholder of part of the site, will work with the owners to try to achieve the best outcome for the city.

“Although it would be sad to see Boswells close, despite the internet and changing shopping habits, Oxford is performing significantly better than most UK city centres ”

“Although it would be sad to see Boswells close, despite the internet and changing shopping habits, Oxford is performing significantly better than most UK city centres.”

Current Pearson family members are the Managing Director and Company Secretary.

The company has put the possible closure down to “adverse retail conditions”.

Gordon Mitchell, Chief Executive of Oxford City Council, said: “Boswells

Around half a billion pounds has been invested in the city centre in recent years, the council said, and significant redevelopments are ongoing by Jesus, Lincoln and Nuffield colleges and in the Covered Market.

More than a dozen retail stores, cafes and restaurants have opened in the city in recent months.

OxLEP Business, which supports small and mediumsized Oxfordshire businesses, has announced Escalate, a new programme for two important parts of Oxfordshire’s economy: social enterprises and growing businesses.

According to Grant Hayward of Oxfordshire Social Entrepreneurship Partnership which is partnering with OxLEP, the number of social, community and environmental enterprises in Oxfordshire has grown significantly “They are important to our economy and Escalate is providing six community hubs for socially conscious enterprises.”

Nigel Tipple, Chief Executive at OxLEP said: “Our other target is to provide a boost to the fastgrowing businesses to help them succeed. These scale-up companies can get help accessing finance and other support in a new package aimed at increasing their capacity to grow. These enterprises have the greatest potential to generate employment and wealth, but they experience specific challenges to achieve their potential.”

Oxfordshire has the highest growth rate in the country among its scaleup businesses. It also has one of the highest five-year survival rates for small businesses anywhere in the UK. At almost 50 per cent, Oxfordshire is well ahead of the UK average for businesses reaching their fifth anniversary.

The Escalate programme, funded by the European Regional Development Fund, will help growing businesses to boost productivity and capitalise on opportunities.