The 3,000sq ft Best One Xtra store owned by Nisar Ahmed (Charlie to his customers) is in a regenerated area on Stockport Road in the city and boasts more than 4,000 products to appeal to the diverse mix of cultures in the district.
A retailer in the area for 25 years, Charlie had to trade out of a temporary structure for more than two years following a compulsory purchase order of his original store. He is now delighted to have his new store, a move helped by a 5,000-strong customer petition pleading for the council to allow an independent retailer to trade from the site.
Charlie told Convenience Store: "The professional help of Best One has been really useful. It's been a lot of hard work, especially trading out of the cabin, but it's definitely been worth it. I didn't even have to ask my customers to start a petition so it was great to receive so much support."
Best One business development manager James Hall said: "This store has the Xtra fascia because it has to provide so much more in terms of range in a tight-knit but diverse community. It is a great community story and Charlie is a real community star."
Grove Village Residents Association chairman David Tomlinson added: "Local people and businesses in the area said they wanted a community shop rather than a faceless supermarket chain."
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