End of an era for a Capital tobacco shop
Winner: Best-one Mace South Bridge
Tobacco Retailer of the Year – supported by Imperial Brands
Interview with Mumtaz Ali, store owner at Best-one Mace South Bridge
FOR many store owners across Scotland, retail can be a lifelong affair.
It can come from ties with family members reaching back generations and leaves plenty of retailers with plenty of experience that has been building since they were a child.
One such example is with Mumtaz Ali, store owner at Best-one Mace South Bridge, whose own experience started at the age of five, when he helped his own father with his store.
Since then, Mumtaz has gone on to establish himself as a key player in the convenience sector through his store in the city centre of Edinburgh, and built strong relationships with customers and industry colleagues alike.
Some 55 years on from his start, Mumtaz has picked up a tranche of awards for his store, and recently was named the Tobacco Retailer of the Year at the Scottish Grocer Awards 2024.
Scottish Grocer judges were impressed with Mumtaz’s savvy approach towards the sector and the plethora of knowledge he holds about not only the tobacco sector but the nicotine category at large.
Mumtaz said: “It really comes down to knowing your customers as well as you can and building a range to reflect that.
“With the store being in Edinburgh, and just off the Royal Mile, we do get a good mix, which means we have to keep in a varied stock of brands.
“For the tourists, they tend to ask for more premium brands and our older customers will shop around this end of pricing, too.
“They know they have a brand they like and are willing to pay a little extra for it.
“Whereas, we also have that customer looking for the cheapest option available, and they’ll ask us just that.
“So while we do have regular customers that we know well and know which brand they will go for, we do also have to serve different tastes all the time so, we have to keep in plenty of options here.
“And Imperial are especially great at helping us out. We hear from our rep regularly and they’re in and out of the store to help with special offer options.”
Mumtaz has been serving customers in his South Bridge store for 25 years now and has worked through some massive changes in the tobacco category, including the change in packet designs, doors fitted on to gantries to hide products and a limited scope on how he can market the products themselves.
And during this time, Mumtaz has weathered the changes and adapted the store to match the laws as they came but, after a lifetime spent in retail, he has now made the decision to retire.
Mumtaz said: “There has been a lot going on in the retail sector these last few years I would say and plenty more coming down the pipeline as well.
“Trading has become more challenging than it used to be, and with the talk of the generational tobacco ban coming in, it’s only going to get more complicated for retailers.
“So, I had a talk with my wife back at the start of 2024 and we both decided that it was time to retire and give ourselves a good break. I’m at a good age now and definitely feel that it is the right thing to do, and we’re already planning to spend more time with our family with a trip to somewhere a bit warmer than it is just now.”
While Mumtaz has said the time is right for both him and his wife to retire, the pair have also noted their own exhaustion in dealing with crime at their store.
Running a convenience store today comes with a host of challenges that are only made all the worse from issues such as vandalism, which has been a growing problem for people such as Mumtaz.
He said: “We’ve already got our hands full dealing with crime from customers, we’ve had assaults, shoplifting and vandalism.
“And it’s not just from local customers, we have kids coming from miles away using their bus passes to come and just causing havoc.
“They’ve kicked my door in and smashed the glass and I feel like there’s nothing much I can do about it.
“The police can’t do anything against kids realistically, so we’re just left to pick up the bill and carry on.
“But, after dealing with this for so long, it can just wear you down.
“And I know it’s not just me, this is happening in stores right across the country. Plenty of retailers have to face so much trouble from kids because they know there’s nothing we can do.
“And trading is about to get a lot tougher, with new legislation coming in that we will have to explain to customers and tell them why they can’t have a disposable vape or, eventually, a pack of cigarettes.”
With all of this in mind, Mumtaz will be set to retire this month and will hand over the keys of the store on 18 January to Zahid Iqbal, store owner of Day-Today Drylaw and multi-Scottish Grocer Awards winner – including the Vaping Retailer of the Year award.
Mumtaz said: “Zahid will officially take over the store on 19 January and I believe he’s already got plans under way for the location.
“He’s told me there is a plan to refit the store to bring in some new elements but, he’s also reassured me, he wants to carry on the loyalty that we’ve built as well.
“This includes our varied tobacco section and our luggage drop-off service, both of which customers come to expect and appreciate in the store.”
It seems there will be plenty in store that shoppers can be excited about for the future of Mace South Bridge, and Mumtaz certainly feel the same about the next stage in his life.
While stepping away from the store itself, Mumtaz expressed an interest in staying in retail in some capacity, whether this be in more of a part-time role or in an advisory position, and continue to give back to the Scottish retail community through his vast industry knowledge.
He said: “Well, first we’re going to have a major family holiday. My son is doing his diploma in law at the moment but we want to do a big holiday together and bring the entire family with us.
“It means we get to spend more time with them and really start retirement as best we can, although the kids did get my wife and I a trip to Morocco for my 60th, so we are both looking forward to getting a bit of sun soon.
“But, I think I do want to stay in retail in some way after retiring. We don’t have anything planned just yet, we want to enjoy ourselves first with a well earned break.
“So, I will be around and looking to help out where I can and help offer some advice for people who are looking for it.”
