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Petition to Government for Increased Industry Support
Please click here to sign the petition.
Last year many antique and fine art dealers were forced to close their premises as a direct result of high rent and business rate increases, at a faster rate than in previous recessions. While the Chancellor's rethink on the previously tabled increase in business rates shows some sensitivity to the needs of businesses, it does not do enough to help this often overlooked sector.
Antiques.co.uk has created an online petition that will be submitted to the Government to lobby for increased support and encouragement for the industry in this time of need.
Please consider signing the petition. Your voice will go a long way to helping the industry as a whole and help keep the Antiques and Fine Art trade healthy and stable.
Once we have obtained as many signatures as possible we shall be delivering this petition to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rt Hon Alistair Darling MP to gain his response.
To submit your signature and comments to the petition, simply click here: Sign the Petition
A copy of the original letter as it appeared in The Times can be viewed here, whilst the current petition signatories can be viewed below.
There are currently 1039 signatures on the petition.
next »| Name | Company | Date Signed | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victor Judge | 11/03/10 |
While fully supporting the aims of this petition,as a collector I am disenchanted by low valuations given by dealers on items,yet when attempting to purchase from dealers,they extoll the virtues of their similar commodities and quote prices 2-3 times greater. These are hard times for all,my partner hasn't had a pay increase for 3 years and recently had to accept a 12.5% pay cut. Cut a little slack to your customers and reduce your margins. To the sale rooms I say reduce your commission,15-25% to buyer and seller helps neither the trade or private buyer. You must do as much as possible to help yourselves as I'm afraid the Government will do too little too late. |
|
| John Jackson | 09/03/10 | ||
| barry smith | 06/03/10 | ||
| GEOFFREY NOBLE | 05/03/10 | ||
| Richard Baxter | 27/02/10 | ||
| jane carroll | Monash University | 18/02/10 |
Antique businesses all over theworld are closing down and one day there will be nothing left but mimimalist stuff and our heritage and beauty will be gone forever |
| Wayne Martin | The Living Room Wareham | 15/02/10 | |
| Nick Ryan | Sonnic Repairs & Restoration | 14/02/10 | Antiques are an English way of life, encourage it don't kill it. |
| James Bergier de Rouville | 13/02/10 | I do heartily support any efforts made to revitalise the antiques trade. My father was a dealer for over 30 years and I myself had my own business supplying interior designers in the late 80s early 90s when I quickly realised that it was not profitable to have commercial premisses. The only way to really assist the antiques trade is to mount a PR campaign, with contributions by all traders presently operating in the UK, involving all the interiors magazines and interior designers (as well as many department stores) otherwise the appreciation which we have previously enjoyed of our heritage and culture will slip away in a wave of mass produced second rate designs manufactured in China. Retail antiques are fast becoming the prerogative of auction houses or high end dealers alone, the mid-level businesses are reduced by 70% in real terms as to what they were 20 years ago. It's a darn shame and something needs to be done before it's too late! | |
| Roger Davies | Lymantiques | 08/02/10 | i have been dealing in antiques and collectable since 2002, and fully agree with the comments that i have read so far, PLEASE ADD MY NAME TO THE PETITION |
| robert hartley | 01/02/10 | AS a collector of fine furniture the closing of so many antique shops means travelling further or buying online. also Leeds is almost without antique shops,and i think those that reman will disapear very soon, so thank you mr. chancellor. | |
| Eric Brammer | booksforsale.org.uk | 26/01/10 | Antiques, Art, Books and Ephemera have a historical place in our society. Its about time the powers that be help and stop the people who trade in these items from going out of business. |
| Jonathan Braganza | Ceej@ys Antiques | 19/01/10 | |
| Huon Mallalieu | 18/01/10 | ||
| Crispin Baxter | Collector | 16/01/10 | Without Antique Dealers so much of our heritage will be lost. They are key players in the preservation of beautiful furniture |
| Gillian Horsup | Gillian Horsup | 13/01/10 | I have been evicted twice due to redevlopment at Camden Passage, and have had to move to Grays. |
| martin schooley | 13/01/10 | ||
| stephen page | 10/01/10 | we need to keep shops and antique business going it would be a great loss if they went | |
| Julia Phillips | Distant Echoes | 08/01/10 | This trade also has suffered to many people selling there own items on line with little knowlege, bringing a great many antiques & collectables to a very low value, I have had people who come into my shop to sell their expensive items and leave nearly in tears because the value has so deprecated. Its not just our trade its the high st in general, I have been in this trade for the last 2 decades and I find myself HAVING to sell more on line and compete in my own trade with someone who is just selling (at anyprice) who then goes to their day job leaving all the antique dealers looking redundunt, If I had a £1 for everytime someone has come into my high st shop( which costs a shed load to keep up and running) what they can get cheaper on line. Also TV programmes tend to show our trade to just anybody so everyones an expert and know nothing, like a magician showing you all his tricks, people tend to hang on to every word those TV personalities come out with. Just one incident, a person (who I had never seen before) shot into my shop and started ranting at me as Paul Martin had bought some plastice screen for about £8 and sold it for a shed load, and now everyone knows how much profit we make and I won't repeat the rest, I think the programme was called 'Trust me I'm a dealer, well not to this person. There are a lot of reasons the high st is dying one is we are not protected by anything anymore and that includes on line shopping,these are just 2, we need our high sts people love to shop its a social thing and we must not lose it. |
| stuart palmer | time capsule | 05/01/10 |
The Local Antique Shop, is a much needed part of local and outside interest. it cannot be allowed to become extinct! |
| bob harrison | 3 church street(finedon) | 05/01/10 | |
| lancs Jeff | Lancs Antiques | 01/01/10 | dont let anymore traders go, its a service that no one can replace.e dont need anymore banks or Take aways |
| Adam Partridge | Adam Partridge Ltd Auctioneers & Valuers | 30/12/09 | We must preserve our antiques industry and action needs to be taken immediately to prevent any further decline. I regularly hold antiques hunting weekend breaks and the list of antiques towns to visit is sadly getting smaller and smaller. |
| SUCHI CHIDAMBARAM | 23/12/09 | ||
| GEORGE DUCKETT | THOMAS DEL MAR LIMITED | 23/12/09 | |
| CLAIR BOLUSKI | 23/12/09 | ||
| PAM EDWARDS | 23/12/09 | HIGH BUSINEES RATES RIDCULOUS PARKING CHARGES AND TIME ABOUT HELP | |
| NEIL CARINS | 23/12/09 | ||
| ashraf shaikh | mowglis | 23/12/09 | love antique |
| Daniel Fearon | 22/12/09 | ||
| Peter Clark | peter clarkantiques | 21/12/09 | antiques shops are part of our heritage. It is a great pity that so many are closing down |
| Kevin Ashby | Ashby & James antiques | 18/12/09 | |
| Ken McDonald | McDonald Services | 16/12/09 | As a new antique dealing and restoration business (post-redundancy) the trade needs every help it can get and support our green credentials |
| Lorna Iddenten | 15/12/09 | Business rates for small businesses are absolutely crippling and should be abolished. | |
| Alexander McCaffrey | 15/12/09 | ||
| Catrin Hampton | 15/12/09 | ||
| Allan Dunlop | 10/12/09 | ||
| Nick Wells | IDHOME Antiques | 10/12/09 | The trade needs all the help it can get, people are increasingly moving to work from home and are off the high street. This cant be a good thing in the long run. |
| adam langford | langfords | 10/12/09 | |
| Kieran Goodary | 08/12/09 | ||
| George Kyriazi | Stefani Antiques | 08/12/09 | DO THE RIGHT THING!!!! |
| Adrian Barratt | Deja-Vu Antiques & Books | 05/12/09 | Small businesses always seem to bear the brunt of any governments shortfalls and become their cash cow to appease the public. Antiques are a British way of life and a huge draw for holiday makers and tourists, they are far better than recycling which involves transport, chemicals, water etc we are all about re using. More needs to be done to support the individual rather than large multi nationals maybe VAT only profit rather than turnover would encourage more business. |
| stephen gill | gill's vintage years | 04/12/09 | |
| Carol Anne Marwick | 03/12/09 | I am an ex-pat living in New Zealand. If you saw the paucity of antiques and conservation sites here you would better understand and respect the rich endowment history has left us in the UK and why we need to conserve it. | |
| Lisanne Mealing | 03/12/09 | ||
| Mike Carroll | Dynamical Antiques and Lighting | 30/11/09 |
Antique dealers are the original 'recycling' industry globally so why not support us? We are also Adept in the Art of Optimism too...live in hope. |
| TERRY RAVEN | NELSONS COUNTY ANTIQUE SHOP | 30/11/09 | nearly all antiques shops and centres have closed down in the norwich area |
| John Dixon | Georgian Antiques | 30/11/09 | |
| Paul Nash | Fossil Decor | 28/11/09 | |
| Mandy Boyd | MJB Past & Present | 28/11/09 |
USEFUL LINKS:
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- Shop of the week
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