The Oxfordshire High Street Summit 2026 is set to bring together owners across retail, hospitality, health and beauty – and many more sectors.
Enterprise Oxfordshire – the business support arm of which operates as the Growth Hub for Oxfordshire businesses – is urging the county’s high street businesses to sign up to their High Street Summit event, as their ‘Helping High Streets’ programme draws to a close.
Taking place on Thursday 16th of April 2026, from 10am to 2.30pm, at the Cornerstone Arts Centre in Didcot, the event is an opportunity to hear business stories, experience the keynote: ‘The High Street is Human’, take part in an ‘open mic’ opportunity and turn insight into action in a dedicated afternoon session.
The event will also feature a networking lunch, giving businesses within the sector the opportunity to share, collaborate and learn from each other.
The event marks the end of Enterprise Oxfordshire’s Government-funded ‘Helping High Streets’ programme – designed to boost the prospects of businesses operating in high‑footfall, town and city centre locations – which is currently at the end of its delivery period, with programme-specific support having finished at the end of March and the Summit taking place in mid-April.
The initiative has taken a place‑based approach, working intensively within identified geographical areas in each district, while also offering wider online support accessible to eligible high street businesses across the county.
With Oxfordshire home to a diverse mix of high streets – from rural market towns to the bustling city centre streets of Oxford – the programme recognises that different locations face different challenges, customer bases and opportunities.
Attendees do not however need to have interacted with any of Enterprise Oxfordshire’s programmes to attend the Summit; the event offers an open invite to bring all of the county’s high street businesses together.
This comes at a time when the impact of Growth Hubs in the region – of which Enterprise Oxfordshire Business is one – has been highlighted in a new report.
The Growth Hub Cluster Impact Report, which analysed support delivered by Growth Hubs in Oxfordshire (Enterprise Oxfordshire Business), the South Midlands, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, and New Anglia collectively between April 2020 and March 2025, revealed the significant effect being made across the region.
Overall impacts over the five‑year period included:
- Supporting 92,719 businesses
- Delivering 178,563 hours of business support
- Enabling 3,934 new business start‑ups
- Helping to create 6,970 jobs
- Helping to safeguard 6,093 jobs
Meanwhile, for every £1 of core Government funding, the Cluster attracted an additional £24 to support SME growth, while also delivering £35 of economic and social value.
Following on from these significant findings, Enterprise Oxfordshire Business is keen for as many eligible businesses as possible to come forward and sign up to the Summit event.
Sarah Beal – Growth Hub Manager at Enterprise Oxfordshire – said: “High streets remain the heartbeat of our communities, and the Helping High Streets programme has been about helping businesses adapt, grow and remain vibrant in a changing economic landscape.
“The High Street Summit event is the first of its kind for Oxfordshire, putting high street businesses at the centre, with councils and partners in a supporting role.
“Nationally, there have been a small number of high street branded gatherings, but most have focussed heavily on big structural and infrastructure issues – the Oxfordshire High Street Summit is uniquely business centred and collaboration-led in its design and content.”
March also saw the launch of Enterprise Oxfordshire’s Marketplace and Celebration Event 2026, with the prestigious marketplace and awards evening set to take place on Wednesday 4th of November.
Designed to be the ultimate platform for Oxfordshire business connection, recognition, and opportunity, this year the event is shining a spotlight on the remarkable achievements of the SMEs, innovators, and leaders who have engaged with Enterprise Oxfordshire Business since April 2022.
With six different categories – all completely free to enter – along with an overall winner to be announced on the night, eligible Oxfordshire businesses are urged to get involved and enter now.
On this continued celebration of the county’s businesses, Sarah continued: “Events like this, alongside our wider Growth Hub support, demonstrate that not only do we have some of the most innovative, forward-thinking businesses here in the county – but that there is also a real impact that targeted, accessible business support can have.
“Whether a business is just starting out or looking to scale, we want to encourage people across the county to engage with us, access support and be part of Oxfordshire’s growing business community. We could be celebrating you next!”
Enterprise Oxfordshire became the new trading name of OxLEP in April last year, marking the completion of a two‑year transition that saw local economic development functions move under arrangements agreed by Oxfordshire County Council. The council now acts as Enterprise Oxfordshire’s sole shareholder under a Teckal company arrangement.
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