Laurie Appointed New Town Centre Manager

Henley Town Council has a new Town Centre Manager, Laurie-Jane Cann who started on Monday 16 May, hitting the ground running; meeting market traders, retailers, sitting in on council meetings and starting to get to know the town community in her first week.

Laurie’s appointment comes after Craig Buckley resigned from the position in March this year after less than 6 months in the role.

Laurie comes with a unique perspective having previously worked as Oxford City Centre Manager and being Chief Executive at Newbury Business Improvement District as well as owning a small business, Pink Tiger Beauty, in Abingdon Town Centre. Leaving her corporate career in 2020 to focus on supporting her business through the COVID pandemic and impact on trading conditions, she is delighted to now be returning. Mother of one, Laurie, 47, was born and raised in Oxford and now lives in Steventon with her husband and 2 dogs.

Laurie said, “It is such a privilege to work in such a beautiful, unique, and established town centre. Henley is already significantly on the map, but I would love to ensure that all visitors that frequent the town throughout the year, make the most of what the town centre has to offer. Henley’s town centre already bucks the trend when it comes to vacancy rates and its thriving chartered market, which is such a fantastic achievement, but it is so important that we continue to keep it brimming with viability and vitality. High streets have been evolving for many years and are now much more experiential than transactional and it is important that the local leaders and the community invest into that narrative.”