SHOP owners could benefit from a new scheme to improve business.

The initiative was suggested at an Epping Town Centre Partnership meeting and would involve discount vouchers being handed out to customers on the high street.

Vouchers would be printed as A4 glossy leaflets, divided into ten advertisement vouchers which shoppers could use in participating shops.

Printing costs would be met by the town centre partnership and shops would provide the artwork which could be taken from a business card, roughly the same size as the discount voucher.

Lucy Harvey, an assistant at Keith's Partyware, said she thought it was a good idea.

She added: “With the summer holidays it's a bit quiet at the moment so it might be a good way to bring in more people.”

Samantha Robb, manager of Flirt clothes shop said: “It could work. I think if people do use things like that it needs to be a good percentage off. When it's just ten per cent people won't come in for that. But it's getting the balance right because if you give away too much it's not worth it.”

Ryan Scott, manager of Intersport, said it would probably not work for his shop.

He added: “It's not right for this company because we are a franchise so we would then have to give the discount in all our shops.

"Business is really slow at the moment so I'm interested in any ideas that can improve things but I don't know if there's any solution.”

Alison Gallop, an assistant at Cook, said they already offered discount vouchers.

She added: “If we could include those on a joint voucher with other shops then it might be a good idea. You get fed up with all the store cards for different shops so something combined would be a good idea."

Chairman of the Town Centre Partnership, Barry Seager said: "I'm going to try to get it together for September and it will be entirely up to individual shops to decide how much the discount is. We will probably put them in the library and council offices for shoppers to pick up.