Bringing the BUZZ back to TETBURY

Traders are optimistic that the town will thrive despite everything that life throws at it

- Tracy Spiers

A huge bottle of Sir Winston Churchill’s favourite tipple, Pol Roger Champagne stands outside Vinotopia in The Chipping, Tetbury. Half of me wants to open it, watch the bubbles get set free and lift a toast to the economic health of this Royal Gloucestershire market town.

It’s a picture of how we have all been feeling in recent months – constrained and wanting to get out.

My eye is drawn to a phrase on Vinotopia’s window. It’s good to know that Napoleon Bonaparte backs me. He said this: “In victory, you deserve Champagne. In defeat you need it.”

Managing director of Vinotopia, Andy Cole says due to the size and shape of their shop, they can’t currently let customers in but online business has been really busy. There is now a bell outside for folk to ring so they can chat to Andy and the team in person, and many have been using their click and collect service. Andy is hoping that this will change in the coming weeks and they will be able to welcome people back into the shop very soon.

“We haven’t really stopped. The supermarkets focussed on stocking the essentials and wine wasn’t seen as an essential, so we have been flat out. We have never been busier. We have had new customers as well as our regular ones. The couriers have been fantastic,” says Andy.

“We don’t like hiding in the back waiting for the next order to ping in online. We want to see our customers. We are a hospitality-based business and we will be waiting for proper guidelines as to what we can and can not do.”