Liberal Democrat Party President Simon Hughes, MP for North Southwark and Bermondsey, cut the ribbon at the official opening of Raj and Mano Sivanesan's new RedOrange store in south east London. The 4,000sq ft Fine Life Shopper on Tower Bridge Road has an extensive deli counter selling hot and cold food to go including made-to-order sandwiches and fresh salads.
Hughes told C-Store: "It would be great to have independent shops such as this in all communities but it's very important that the public supports them as well. It would be terrible if Britain became a country where the only place to go was one of the large national chains.
"Already people feel the pressure of the major supermarkets taking over and the only way to reverse that is for good local shops like this one to be set up and to exist and for the community to come and use them, and not just occasionally but all the time. I wish this shop all the best - it's near to my office so I will make sure my colleagues and I come here on a regular basis and set the trend."