Kentish Express Ashford & District
So Spar so good as retailer opens doors
sawilliams@thekmgroup.co.uk A new convenience store opened yesterday (Wednesday), filling one of the empty gaps in Ashford’s town centre.
The Spar can be found in the former Reeds Rains offices at 31 High Street, which has been empty since the estate agent closed in July 2012.
Work to convert the former office into a convenience store started in June this year.
Customers who visited the shop, which will sell groceries, alcohol and confectionary, yesterday were treated to free food tasters and samples.
The store has been set up by business partners Paresh Amin and Tanuj Patel, who also own The Chocolate Box, in the High Street, and manage Leaver’s, which is due to close.
Mr Amin said: “I are very excited about the opening of the new store. The lower end of the High Street is quite empty and really needs renovating. We have put a lot of hard work in to make the store a great addition to the High Street.”
Mr Amin also explained that The Chocolate Box is due to have a mini make-over to accommodate for the extra stock that will be coming over from Leaver’s tobacconists when it closes.
He said: “We are incorporating everything from Leaver’s into the SPAR and The Chocolate Box, so customers will still have access to all the stock.”
The specialist cigarettes, pipes and different flavours of rolling and pipe tobacco that are available at Leaver’s will be moved to The Chocolate Box.
Mr Amin has also offered to let Ashford charity, Joining Hands, a not-forprofit social enterprise, lease the office above the SPAR for free for six months.
The SPAR will be open Monday to Saturday 7am-8pm.