SPAR independent retailers Karavadra & Sons Ltd have become multi-site operators with the opening of their second store with wholesale partner James Hall & Co. Ltd.
Located in Bryn in Greater Manchester on the A49 connecting Wigan with Ashton-in-Makerfield, the site of a former Boots chemist has been converted into a modern SPAR convenience store with a comprehensive range.
Run by siblings Janak and Daxa Karavadra and their uncle Ranmal Karavadra, SPAR Bryn has an extensive fresh foods offer including meals solutions, Food To Go, and chilled drinks, as well as a Cheeky Coffee machine and Clayton Park Bakery hot food unit.
The store has an Iceland Foods frozen section full of big brand favourites, with the Karavadras becoming the first independent SPAR Northern Guild retailers to have Iceland products in their store after the recent nationwide partnership announcement.
There is also a superb range of beers, wines, and spirits, and a plentiful selection of big brand household products at value prices. SPAR customers will benefit further by shopping at the store as it is part of the SPAR Rewards scheme.
SPAR Northern Guild Committee member Bhavesh Parekh, who has experience of expanding his store portfolio with the support of James Hall & Co. Ltd, visited the store ahead of launch to congratulate the Karavadras and wish them well in their new venture.
Janak said: “We are very pleased with the new store and its offer. We have Cheeky Coffee in this store which we are excited to have, and a Clayton Park Bakery hot food unit with its small prep kitchen in the back which is a new challenge for us.
“SPAR Rewards is another fantastic development and having access to Iceland’s offer is a great advantage for us as SPAR retailers. I think customers will love the range within the frozen category and the timing of the new partnership has worked perfectly for us.
“David Hodgkinson, James Hall’s Estates and Acquisitions Manager, found the location for us. We secured the lease on the premises back in March and since then it has been all systems go ready for the launch.
“I think the store is well placed and offers a lot. We have the surgery next door, the main road passing the front of our store, the train station is across the road, and there is a good mix of housing and businesses all around us. Having our own car park is also a bonus.
“Everybody at James Hall has been so supportive in getting the store complete and open for trading, particularly our Retail Sales Advisor Amanda Wilson. What we like about James Hall is all the help, advice and guidance is there for you to grow your business, but the stores still feel like your own and you retain that independence.
“It was also good of Bhavesh to come down to see us at our new store. Learning from each other as independent retailers in convenience is important and we were grateful for his time.”
The world of retail is in Janak and Daxa’s blood with their family having convenience retail stores in Kenya.
The brother and sister duo first made their move into convenience retail in the UK when they acquired SPAR Harle Syke in the Briercliffe area of Burnley in 2023, moving north from Leicester after previously being in the clothing manufacturing business for retail giant Primark.
Janak said: “Daxa and I work very well together, and we have a big family who are involved in our SPAR stores. We have moved here to Bryn from Burnley to be closer operationally to our new store as we need to be on hand.
“Daxa is going to run the kitchen and fresh foods side of the business, and I am going to look after the rest of the store. We will be running it in a similar way to how we have successfully run our Burnley store over the last few years.
“We do also have plans to improve our Burnley store in the future to modernise it and maximise its potential. We will use the Harvest funds we have accrued through James Hall’s scheme to reinvest into the store there which is very helpful for big projects.”
Peter Dodding, Sales Director at James Hall & Co. Ltd and Chairman of the SPAR Northern Guild, said: “I am thrilled for the Karavadra family who have taken that next step to become multi-site SPAR independent retailers.
“Going from one store to two is always a big business decision, but as their wholesale partner, we have been alongside them every step of the way.
“Our team will continue to work hard to maximise the store’s potential, and to ensure SPAR is the number one destination for convenience shopping in the Bryn area.”
James Hall & Co. Ltd is a fifth-generation family business which serves a network of independent SPAR retailers and company-owned SPAR stores across Northern England six days a week from its base at Bowland View in Preston.
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