Background & Economy

Pictures Courtesy of Mendip District Council

Shepton Mallet is a historic market town whose original wealth was created in the 14th Century by woollen mills. The woollen industry declined in the 19th century when engineering, cheese making and brewing industries developed and were the basis of the town’s prosperity.

Notable businesses in the town today include Mulberry Design (leather goods), Haskins Homecentre (retail furniture), Matthew Clark (Babycham and cider), Brothers Drinks (cider), Framptons (international distribution) and UK Online (internet service provider). Just outside the town is the Royal Bath and West Showground, an agricultural showground which, in addition to the Bath and West Show, hosts many events and conferences catering for all interests throughout the year.

Shepton21, a small group of local people have been working in conjunction with the Market and Coastal Towns Initiative (MCTi) to explore ways of improving the town and surrounding villages, especially in the medium to long term. For more detail see www.Shepton21.org.uk. The Market Towns Employment Project will be part of this process.

The baseline analysis of the employment situation and economy in Shepton Mallet identified:

• 6% Employment losses between 1998 and 2002
• A good proportion of population is of working age and economic activity levels are high
• Good growth in working age population is forecast for the district
• Losses of jobs and business stock in recent years
• A good proportion of employment is in knowledge based sectors
• There is increasing reliance on large employers, with four of the top five employers in declining sectors representing 800 jobs
• Large proportion of unemployed are aged 16-24
• Indications that there are good levels of entrepreneurship
• Poor performance at Key Stage 2 and GCSE level