With more than 46,000 0f themin the UK, convenience stores used to be a feature on almost every residentialcorner-but the number of corner shops is in decline. The growth of corner shopswas prevented by the cruel march of the big four supermarkets' formats when Tescobought the T & S group of convenience stores. Even more significantly,corner shops are starting to change hands as their original owners retire. Socan the tradition be saved?
Sure, there's always a wayout. Far from a struggling corner shop, Wigston Fields News & Deli isbecoming a lighthouse for food lovers across the region. Pratik, the shopkeeperof Wigston Fields News & Deli, was named as Local Food Hero by the regionalGreat Taste Club in their annual awards in 2020 and his customers value whatWigston Fields News & Deli offers.
"I feel proud tocontinue my parents' legacy," says Pratik. "I barely set foot in theshop until my mother passed away in 2012, but then it became important for meto continue the work she loved. I am proud to take the flag from her andcontinue to serve my community."
At present, he is well on hisway to achieving a commercial as well as community success. On the shop'spopular social media page, customers share orders for special menus of locallyproduced food and enjoy the wonder about Pratik's samosa (萨莫萨三角饺) consumption, These samosas are held to bethe best in the city, so the tiny shop sells nearly 900 samosas a week, up fromjust 50 a week 3 years ago.
"I hope our success willinspire others and show that shop-keeping is a rewarding choice, not a dead-endjob," Pratik says. "We work hard, and our customers have become likefamily to us, so I can't imagine enjoying any other job quite as much."
This is one of independentcorner shops whose fortunes are on the rise. Surely, we'll see more in thefuture.