Convenience store set to re-open under new owner

A CONVENIENCE shop in Goring will re-open next week under new management.

Gurdeep “Harry” Singh has taken over the former McColl’s store in High Street, which closed in June, and refurbished it.

It will be renamed Goring Food & Wine and will sell newspapers, soft drinks and alcohol as well as household essentials.

Mr Singh has also applied to host a “Local” branch of the Post Office, which had previously been run from the shop but closed ahead of the closure of McColl’s.

Mr Singh, 29, who lives in Reading, will be working with his cousin Vish Singh, 25, who will be the shop manager.

He said: “The property is old so I have been refurbishing it with the help of a friend who is a builder so it will be different to how it was before.

“There are new fridges for all the new wine and drinks. I’m bringing in wines from around the world that are not found in local supermarkets.

“There will also be cold food on offer with ready-to-eat Indian favourites such as biryani, fresh vegetables and machine coffee for on-the-go customers.”

Mr Singh had not planned to open a post office counter but residents persuaded him to apply to have one. If he is successful, it will be in the centre of the store.

He said: “Lots of people kept coming to me while I was working on the shop and asked if I would bring the counter back.

“I thought having it would be too much hassle but when people kept requesting it, I put the request in to the Post Office.

“The process is fairly straightforward and, if I am successful, I hope that it happens before Christmas but the Post Office hasn’t decided yet.”

Mr Singh was a child when he came to the UK from Afghanistan in the Nineties. He first lived in London and then moved to Newbury.

He spent almost five years managing a convenience store called Premiere owned by his friend Sanju Singh, 34, from Ascot.

Sanju owns four other convenience stores across Berkshire and has been advising the cousins on their new business venture.

He said: “When I first started with my first shop, it was a massive step, so I hope Harry’s grows, just like I’ve grown in the last eight years from one store to a chain.

“It takes time but his attitude is right and he works hard.

“The shop will give him the chance to support the local community and make this a better place for them. Lot of seniors will love it, being in the middle of the high street. It’s in a good spot and I think he’s going to be all right.”

The decision to close the Goring branch of McColl’s was taken before the struggling convenience retailer was acquired by supermarket giant Morrisons in May.

At the time, a McColl’s spokesman said: “Having explored all options, regretfully we have taken the difficult decision not to renew the lease on the store in Goring. We are saddened to no longer be operating the store.”

When the Post Office counter closed parish council chairman Bryan Urbick said it was the latest example of the village losing critical services following the closure of its two banks.

Since then, the village has been served by a Post Office van, which parks outside the Westholme Store, which is known as Jack’s, in Wallingford Road, on Mondays and Thursdays from 8am to 10am.

The Post Office has advertised for a successful retailer in the village to incorporate a “Local” into their business to run over the same opening hours.

The Post Office says a business could earn between £17,100 and £19,000 a year by running the service.

• Last month, a bridal boutique opened in Goring. Nicole Mae’s Bridal has taken over the former Hamilton’s unisex hair salon in Station Road. Owner Nicole Osborne, 31, says the village is her “perfect” location.