Bep Dhaliwal, trade communications manager, Mars Chocolate UK, left, and awards event host Craig Hill, right, present the Community Champion Award to Asif Akhtar and Abada Akhtar of Smeaton Stores, Kirkcaldy.

Family store gives heaps of support

Community Champion – supported by Mars Chocolate Winner: Premier Smeaton Stores, Kirkcaldy, Fife Winner details Staff: 4 Symbol: Premier Smeaton Stores has been a family business for three...
Shopkeeper Asif Mohammad stands outside his convenience shop next to a hand written sign about energy prices.

Act on energy or shops will shut

As soaring energy costs threaten viable businesses, Scottish business owners have been sounding the alarm over electricity price hikes.
Debbie and Andy Townsend (above) moved from Birmingham to Laide five years ago and took over the local Post Office and forecourt. In a small community, many miles from the nearest supermarket, they are relied on for a lot more than the average corner shop, but have risen to the challenge of meeting the needs of their customers.

Best Laide plans

A village shop, Post Office and petrol forecourt, Laide Post Office can boast a lot. Andy and Debbie Townsend moved to the area, in...
Andrew Helm, key account manager for British American Tobacco, left, and sports TV personality Georgie Thompson, right, present the Scottish Grocer 2014 Employee of the Year Award to Marc McCabe.

Award profile – Employee of the Year 2014

Winner : Marc McCabe Manager, Nisa Extra, Perth Road, Dundee. Employee of the Year Award winner 2014 – in association with British American Tobacco UK. Winner details Age:...

All pumped up after a revamp

FORECOURT retailer John Sommerville has joined forces with symbol group Mace to revamp his Bathgate store. Taking the reins of a site he operated for...

SG Profile: Spar Errol

Retailer Rana Ali has carved himself out a slice of countryside life in the village of Errol in Perthshire after seven years at his shop in Carmyle in Glasgow
a selection of drinks from

Meet the Maker: AG Barr

Vicky Lawless-Mitchell customer marketing lead at AG Barr, tells of life working at the Scottish soft drinks manufacturer.

New directions: Harry Singh, Londis of Carstairs Junction

After finishing school aged 18, Harry Singh stepped into the back of his family’s Carstairs Junction store to pore over sales data. Now he’s...
Tanya Wilson winning employee of the year receiving her award

Awards Profile – Employee of the Year 2021

Scottish Grocer caught up with Tanya Wilson, store manager at Spar Eastriggs and winner of Employee of the Year at the 2021 Scottish Grocer Awards.
Rachel Hartwell

Growing frozen

INDEPENDENT wholesaler Bestway has appointed a new category manager for its frozen business. Rachel Hartwell joins from the Musgrave group. She is now responsible...
Uig Community Shop

Retailing in the Isles

Following the publication of the ACS Rural Shop report, Scottish Grocer spoke to retailers in the Outer Hebrides to ask them what they consider...

Awards Profile – Innovation in Impulse

OPENING a new store at any time can be a challenge but this must go doubly so during a pandemic. It was no small feat then, when Barry Oujla, owner of Barry’s Convenience Stores, and his son Steven, opened a new store in 2020.

Dairy to differ

THE story of Day-Today, Wallyford is one of a constantly evolving store in the hands of a man who just won’t take ‘no’ for...
Elizabeth Bremner

Keeping abreast of redundancy rules

At the end of March, P&O Ferries hit the headlines attracting substantial outrage from politicians, trade unions and the public alike when it dismissed around 800 employees without notice, subsequently replacing them with agency workers.
Pricecracker Dundee

Rolling with regulations

Awards profile - Tobacco Retailer of the Year Award. Interview with Akhtar Muhammed.

Awards profile – The Dairy Award (Independent Store) 2016

Winner: Spar, Renfrew The Dairy Award (Independent Store) Sponsored by: Müller