‘Glocal’ solutions - a case study.

Written by TR Johns

In the 1960s the Holborns owned a Fish ‘n Chip shop in the suburbs of London. Mum, Dad and four children. They worked hard to make ends meet. The business collapsed when a greengrocers next door caught fire and gutted the entire block of shops! Undaunted, but hurting, the family started again, Dad using his retail skills, trying a Burger bar and then founding a Tobacconist & Confectionary shop in 1974, back at their roots. They knew the locals and quickly felt part of the community, in an area of relatively dense housing. Essentially it became a ‘convenience’ store, at a time when supermarkets were changing the face of shopping. Bulk buying, breadth of produce and lower prices had a huge appeal, forcing many smaller shops to close.

 The Holborns knuckled down and expanded, growing the convenience side and trying new initiatives. Computerisation was taking off (eg stock taking and billing), and newspaper deliveries were extended to a large local hospital and several new office blocks. The availability of fresh produce from good suppliers was key (bread, meat, fruit and veg.), with flowers sold too. The children had grown up, one into car sales, another a successful chef and Dean, helping with the business, upskilling through Business Studies.

Working weeks in excess of 70 hours, took their toll on the family. Dad had a triple heart bypass, and Dean grasped the reins of the family shop. It was a hub for the local community, convenient, in every sense. Within walking distance for many, offering a friendly and helpful service, listening to requests, targeting orders, “conversations” were one of the key products. There was an ease and enjoyment about popping in, something reassuring in the familiarity of known faces and stories, against an increasingly atomised society.

By 1998 they had bought the adjacent shop and the business was growing 70%, year on year. In 2005 a neighbouring village store came up for sale, which they purchased and developed, using their successful blueprint. It flourished like a rural oasis, with a horticultural offshoot and post office, gaining awards from the Wholesale and Trade press. The winning formula, apart from astonishing hard work, was down to a strong brand image; ‘community’.

Almost 80% of convenience store owners across mainland Britain are involved in community activities, whether charity fund-raising, sponsorship, local projects or donations to food banks. The Holborns are no exception. Dean, threw himself into organising the yearly Bonfire Night and Fireworks. Trained, fully insured and involving a diverse team, the dazzling event drew up to 2000 people and has raised over £100,000. Local clubs (eg. scouts, judo and cricket), the primary school and church have all been beneficiaries! The sense of community cohesion is palpable, generating goodwill and mutual benefit.

Behind shops like the Holborns’, sits the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) representing nearly 50,000 small retailers. In 2023, 70% were independent, some multi-generational, collectively generating over £47 billion of sales p.a., with £12.4 billion contributed to HMRC in GVA (VAT) and taxes. Employment in the sector accounted for almost half a million jobs (including first-time work for youngsters); significant statistics. The ACS is a powerful lobbying group which hosts an annual ‘Heart of the Community’ Conference at Westminster, engaging politicians. It provides a forum where the implications of pending legislation can be discussed, and local priorities and best practice shared. Like democracy, community is not a given, it needs maintaining with a clear social conscience.

For years ACS has battled with Supermarket giants, the proliferation of retail parks, Megastores and online shopping. Its retailers operate tight margins and are vulnerable to all sorts of adversity. Since the Russian/Ukraine conflict in 2022, energy costs have doubled. Road closures by utilities (eg. water, electricity, gas) cause £100,000s of lost business annually, with no compensation. Retail crime requires constant vigilance, as does protection of staff from abuse. Miscarriages of justice, like the Horizon sub-post office IT scandal, have brought financial ruin.    

Resilience is a hallmark and Covid-19 proved, beyond doubt, how valuable is the network of a local shop. With lockdown, vigilance needed for the vulnerable, reduced mobility and fear of the unknown at supermarkets, Holborns provided safe, reliable spaces, a lifeline delivering to many, when so much was being called into question. Collaboration with businesses forced to close, increased. The two shops sold compost, bedding plants and fresh eggs, enabling colleagues to remain solvent. Adapting to crises was a forte.

Dean’s brother Russell changed careers, from top chef to creative florist, adding dimensions to the enterprise which literally bloomed. Celebrating its 50th year in 2024, with the grist of family dynamics as a daily reality (sister Joanne is the trojan who cares for 90-year-old mum!), Holborns have become local institutions, giving life blood to their neighbourhoods.

The term ‘Glocal’, (global/local), drawing on the benefits of ACS’s influence and the reach of Wholesale Distributors, (eg. A.F. Blakemore), coupled with an entrepreneur’s spirit and the personal face of the ‘corner’ shop, combines the best of two worlds. Replicate the principles of Holborns thousands of times across the country and each store tells its own story.

These outlets are precious gems, open on average for 14 hours a day, 25% of customers visiting daily, with in-store tech. (eg. click and collect, bill payment, top ups, cash back and lottery tickets) continually expanding. Since 2019 a further 3,000 UK retailers registered with ACS, despite economic hardships and uncertainty.[i] For community life to flourish, these dedicated, intrinsic individuals, need our support!

It’s a Friday afternoon, Dean’s wife is bracing herself for the influx of parents and kids at ‘home time’ from the village school opposite. An ice-cream van has pulled up down the road, touting for custom, but without a street traders’ licence. Dean...!

References

[i] https://www.acs.org.uk/research/local-shop-report (accessed 22-1-2024)