Share Issue Information

The November share issue has now closed and has been a great success. As a consequence, the CBS has 191 members and the share issue raised £47,475 which exceeded our expectations. Not only is this a great vote of confidence in the project from our village and community, it also gives us really strong platform to build on as we move to the next stage of the project which will be the submission of a planning application in the New Year and a series of grant funding applications to raise the remaining funds required.

The Management Committee would like to thank all those who have invested. You will all receive your share certificates shortly and we will keep you informed as to the progress of the project via the website and email bulletins. We take the responsibility of being custodians of your money very seriously and are determined to deliver a great facility for the village!

For those who remain potentially interested in investing but were unable to do so during the November share issue, the Model Rules of the CBS do allow for applications for membership to be made to the Management Committee outside of the public share issue. Please email oakleyvillagestores@gmail.com or via the contact form to request details of the criteria for membership and how you can apply.

You are being invited to invest in the Oakley Village Stores project through the purchase of community shares. This share issue is the centre piece of our efforts to raise funds for the new proposed Shop adjacent to the Village Hall. The consultations and plans have been met with great enthusiasm in the village and now this is your chance to help make it happen by purchasing shares in the newly formed entity that will run the shop.

The share issue has been designed to provide local people with the chance to contribute financially to the community shop, primarily in the hope of seeing a “social dividend” rather than receiving a personal financial return. It is a crucial part of our fund-raising process for the project. We are aiming to raise around £40,000 of the estimated £80,000 needed for the project from the share issue with the balance funded from available grant funding opportunities.

The “social dividend” will mean different things to different people: for some it will be the convenience of being able to buy a newspaper or a loaf of bread nearby; for others, a place to meet friends have coffee and cake and socialise while their children play in the play area or on the sports field; for children it will be somewhere to spend pocket-money. The key point is that your support will help to make this project happen, in the process acquiring a small stake in the shop! Quite apart from anything else, shareholders will be likely to use and value a shop they own. This makes the long-term success of the venture more likely.

Offer Summary

  • You are being invited to invest in the Oakley Village Stores project through the purchase of community shares;

  • Oakley Village Stores Limited (“OVSL”) a Community Benefit Society (“CBS”), has been established to set up, construct and operate Oakley Village Stores (“the Shop”);

  • OVSL’s vision is for the Shop to be a community hub in Oakley serving the needs of the local and wider community, through the provision of a wide range of services;

  • The Management Committee of OVSL (“the Management Committee”) is seeking to raise a mini- mum of £30,000 from this share offer and hope to raise between £40,000 and £50,000. The overall start-up costs of the project are estimated at approximately £80,000;

  • Community shares in the CBS will have a nominal value of £25 each. The minimum investment under this share issue is 1 share (£25) and the maximum is 200 shares (£5,000);

  • The share offer is open to individuals aged 16 and above, companies and other corporate organisations such as charities;

  • The share offer will open on 1st November 2021 and will close at midnight on 30th November 2021 or such or later date as the Management Committee may determine should they form the view that an extension is required;

  • A full copy of the Share Prospectus can viewed and printed HERE along with a set of “Frequently Asked Questions”

  • A detailed business plan setting out details of the project in full (including financial projections) can also be viewed HERE. The Share Prospectus should be read in conjunction with the Business Plan and FAQs.

How to apply and invest?

Please return the form contained within the Share Prospectus together with (where applicable) your cheque or cash to: Neil Walters, Company Secretary, Oakley Village Stores Limited, 6 Pearce Courtyard, Oakley, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP18 9WY

If making an online Bank Transfer scanned copies of the form can also be emailed to oakleyvillagestores@gmail.com marked for the attention of the Company Secretary.

If you wish to pay by Bank Transfer, please use the following details: Bank: Unity Trust Bank Account No: 20449528 Sort Code: 60 83 01. Please ensure you use your name as the reference number for your transfer so we can trace your payment into our bank account.

NB: This share offer is not subject to the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, nor covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Investors will have no recourse to the Financial Ombudsman.

You should be aware the value of your investment could fall, and the amount returned could be lower than your investment.

If you are unsure whether to invest or not it is recommended that you consult a professional advisor.