Community

COMMUNITY RETAILER OF THE YEAR

DAY TODAY STENHOUSEMUIR

The Community Retailer of the Year Award proved a tough category for the judges. So tough in fact, that three stores were named as joint winners.

Asiyah and Jawad Javed’s monumental efforts during the pandemic have been an inspiration to all, not just in the Stenhousemuir area but worldwide. The bighearted retailers have appeared on TV in the UK, the middle east and the United States and have been featured in countless articles in regional and national Scottish and UK newspapers.

One of the many reasons why the judges picked them out as winners was their commitment at the start of lockdown to hand out free care packages, including hand wash, to anyone who wanted it in their area. This was when many less scrupulous retailers were hiking the price of handwash to exploit a desperate situation.

The couple have also been instrumental in bringing the local community together during the pandemic and have contributed in countless ways to supporting their local area.

SLR Publisher Antony Begley said: “The last 18 months have been the most challenging the local retailing sector has ever faced but, once again, Scotland’s local retailers more than rose to the challenge. And none more so than Asiyah and Jawad. They have long been stalwarts of their local community but during the pandemic their efforts were nothing short of heroic. “Handing out truly enormous quantities of free hand wash and care packages at a time when price-gouging was rife on handwash tells you all you need to know about Asiyah and Jawad. They are fine examples of everything that is wonderful about the community retailing sector in Scotland.”

COMMUNITY RETAILER OF THE YEAR

PREMIER LINKTOWN LOCAL

The Community Retailer of the Year Award proved a tough category for the judges. So tough in fact, that three stores were named as joint winners.

Inspirational retailer Faraz Iqbal’s Premier Linktown Local store in Kirkcaldy has long been at the very heart of the local community. There is very little community activity that happens in Linktown that Faraz doesn’t have some involvement with. He backs a raft of local charities, sponsors and supports a range of local activities, and sits on the committees of a host of local community organisations. It’s fair to say he’s pretty much the driving force behind the ongoing development of the area and during the pandemic the community came to rely on his store more than ever before.

Alongside his tireless efforts to serve the community, Faraz also found time to introduce a home delivery service to make sure that vulnerable and elderly customers as well as those shielding and self-isolating could still get what they needed under the most difficult circumstances.

SLR Publisher Antony Begley commented: “Faraz knows every customer and they know him. He just doesn’t know how to say ‘no’ when it comes to community initiatives, and he is involved in one way or another with most of what happens in Linktown. “He has a strong creative streak and that creativity served him and his community well over the last 18 months, allowing him to find solutions to the seemingly never-ending stream of challenges that the last year threw at the community. He has a heart of gold and sharp brain to match and is genuinely worthy winner of this award.”

COMMUNITY RETAILER OF THE YEAR

PREMIER WATSON’S GROCER

The Community Retailer of the Year Award proved a tough category for the judges. So tough in fact, that three stores were named as joint winners.

As the only store in the small Dumfriesshire village of Moniaive, Premier Watson’s Grocer store has always been a vital resource for the local community, and this was never more so than during the darkest days of lockdown.

When the supermarkets began running out of key products at the start of lockdown, store owner Graham Watson quickly began to source essential products like pasta and rice in bulk from as far away as Australia. He converted the front of the store into a bagging area where he, his wife and the team spent many long nights weighing and bagging products in preparation for customers for the next morning. As a result, the store maintained fantastic availability throughout the pandemic and ensured that the Moniaive community could always find the products and services they needed under the most difficult of circumstances.

Graham also introduced a home delivery service for vulnerable and elderly customers, as well as those housebound by coronavirus. Commenting on the judges’ decision, SLR Publisher Antony Begley said: “Graham’s store in Moniaive is more than just a shop, it’s more than just a place for the local community to buy bread and milk. Premier Watson’s Grocer is a true community hub and Graham takes that responsibility with absolute seriousness. The efforts of Graham and his team are beyond inspirational. He worked himself into the ground to look after the Moniaive community and he is a fine example of everything that is wonderful about this amazing community retailing industry.”