“We all use the large supermarkets but there is more to it than that. There is something more about shopping communities and meeting people and having a coffee.”
Mr Pedley is a former buyer for Midlands department store Beatties, now owned by House of Fraser, and employs five members of staff at shops in Boldmere and Albrighton.
Membership of BTA costs £20-£25 and the organisation holds monthly meetings and is developing a website to boost business.
Mr Pedley added: “In common with other town areas, parking is a problem. Car parking is free for an hour, which is still quite a plus.
“It is our desire to get 80 per cent of businesses on board in the next six months.
“You have to show retailers that it is not going to cost them money, it is going to cost them effort and time.
“The other thing Boldmere has is that it comes alive at 7pm because it has a number of restaurants. There’s not many streets that have such a long day.
“The restaurants are as much a part of Boldmere as the retailers, we have got the balance right.”
Family-run jeweller Marlows of Boldmere Road celebrates its tenth anniversary this year and is run by husband and wife Stephen and Kay.
Mrs Marlow said: “We are all independent traders. We are the only jewellers on Boldmere Road and at the moment the high street is a very healthy.
“We can move on prices, we are specialists and we all know what we are doing.
“We are jewellers as opposed to just a jewellery shop and we manufacture upstairs.
“If someone asks us to do something special we can bend and flex, while others will say ‘whatever we have in the window’ and I think that is why we are bucking the trend.”
Andrew Coles from TaxAssist Accountants added: “I moved in 18 months ago and there were probably about six to eight premises vacant and I had a choice of three or four, whereas now there are about three vacant and people have moved into the area and it is feeling pretty positive.
“A Sainsbury’s here has created more footfall and that has had a knock on effect.”
Mr Pedley, from Malvern, added: “I cannot say it is cheap to be in the area. It has quite an expensive rateable value. For that you get a quality customer.
“We are all having to look closely at our costs and make savings where we can. What we have to do as retailers is offer excellent value with price lines that are going to attract new customers as well as remaining attractive to our old customers.
“Down the road Mere Green was very vibrant, even though they are thinking of doing a new development, it has lost its heart and character and lacks customer appeal.
“Shopping areas like Boldmere have got to rise to the challenge. With the traders’ association we can have some muscle if we all pull in the same direction.
“I think business is very tough. There is money around but people are being very selective. They want exceptional value and I do not mean cheap. People want to maximise every penny in their pocket.”
Mr Pedley added: “I do not think the high street is going to change dramatically over the next few months. I think we have talked ourselves into a recession.
“There are customers who do not want to shop in the supermarket – they want to go to the specialists. All those things you won’t necessarily get in Argos, Tesco or Asda.
“We want to tell everyone you do not have to go into the city.”
