Chairmans Message

2010 marks The Shop Agent’s Society’s Silver Jubilee. A landmark the inaugural Chairman Paul Cawood and his Committee probably were not thinking about back in 1985. However, what they and subsequent Committee’s since that initial meeting have done, is establish the foundations and forum for Retail Agents to work and socialise and ensure that collectively we are stronger as a whole than a dissipated collection of individuals.

The last twelve months, as we all know, have been particularly difficult and all the indications thus far from research and comment by the Industry’s leading players, indicate that the next twelve months will be exceptionally challenging. Your Committee are very keen to be able to provide as much help, support and business opportunities for our members be it through our APC surgeries, the CPD lectures, field trips as well as the regular social and networking opportunities such as our First Friday drinks, the Golf Day, the SAS football team who play in the Hayes Montrose league, wine tasting or our Christmas event.

We have a wide and varied membership and I would appeal to our older members, who have perhaps lost touch or not attended events as regularly as before, to come and get involved and see what we are doing. Within the membership we have vast amounts of knowledge and experience which is invaluable particularly to our younger members but will be to the benefit of us all.

I hope that 2010 is a prosperous year for you and that the SAS members will continue and maintain their well earned reputation for giving the highest quality of advice.