Plan to convert Woolies store in Bognor into trading village

The group is bidding for half a million pounds from the United Nations to turn the empty premises into a retail centre for developing countries.

The plan is to divide its 2,401sq m of trading space into 20-30 units. Each would be staffed by a team of workers from nations such as Kenya, Somalia and India to sell goods from their home countries.

An estimated 4,700 of the individuals could pass through the store on six-week training programmes during its first year to enable them to learn how to trade and raise money for their local communities.

Their accommodation and travelling expenses would be paid by their governments to provide a visitor boost to Bognor.

The scheme would last for three years.

Local resident John Beer is leading talks to turn the multi-national plan into reality in the London Road precinct.

He said: "I believe our chances of success are 50/50.

"This would be a good way of making use of the former Woolworths to benefit people from developing countries.

"Their village businesses will benefit from trading opportunities with the developed world.

Villages devastated by the blight of HIV Aids and the ravages of war will be able to sell their goods.

"Filling the Woolworths premises will also make a huge difference to Bognor town centre.

"With Mothercare and the cookshop gone as well, the town centre is dying in the most awful way.

"It's full of people wandering around, but the loss of Woolworths has created a big hole and, with the other shops going as well, there is a terrible atmosphere there."

Woolworths shut on December 27 as the firm become a casualty of the recession.

Its former store is the largest retailing premises in the precinct.

New president, new outlook

John Beer has experience at the Open University, running better business courses for various countries through the UN.

But the dislike of the former American president, George W Bush, for the multi-national body stopped the programme and Mr Beer lost his job.

However, the election of Barack Obama to lead the US has seen a complete change in that country's attitude towards the UN.

Talks are now under way between various governments about how best to enable those from developing countries to compete in the global economy.

Mr Beer has joined the UK's National Association of Older People and the Full Time Corporation, which runs distance learning courses in America, into the NFI Consortium to bid for a slice of the funding.

He expects to hold a meeting in Parliament in about a month with Bognor's MP, Nick Gibb, and one of the south east's MEPs, Daniel Hannan, to get their final agreement for the proposals.

He will then submit a formal proposal for funding to the UN. A decision will be expected in late May or early June to enable the mini stores to opened in October.

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