Local Businesses Prepare for Festival Surge

Businesses near the Reading Festival site are braced for a busy weekend as thousands of revellers bring an estimated £31 million to the local economy.

Shops, pubs and hotels along Richfield Avenue and Caversham Road - main routes to the site - say they benefit and are stocking up for the rush.

Dan Haustrup, manager of Toby Carvery, said: "We get all the festival goers coming here and all the workers as well, and usually it's a good laugh with lots of people." He says the restaurant still gets busy despite changes to traffic and that barriers are installed around Richfield Avenue.

Convenience stores are big winners. The nearest Premier store won permission to sell alcohol until midnight, and several shops have temporary licences to stay open later.

Shiraz Ali, the Premier manager, said: "Yesterday we stocked up on alcohol, vodka, beer and cigarettes." He told reporters the late licence helps catch trade when headliners finish around midnight.

Your Local Store has special permission to stay open until 1am, and Budgens will run 6am to 2am on the three main festival days, much later than usual.

Parmji Singh at Your Local Store said: "We've built up our stock of water, soft drinks, and alcohol as well." He added: "And we're selling everything at our original price. We never change our price to make sure we cater for festival-goers and regular customers alike, so we try to give our 100 per cent."

Businesses can apply for up to 15 temporary event notices (TENs) per year at £21 each to extend opening hours during events.

Other nearby places doing brisk business include The Gorge Cafe, The Moderation and River Spice. Last year Ana Fonseca from The Gorge Cafe said it is rammed all weekend, offering regular-sized, large and veggie breakfasts to festival-goers.

James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter