THAT’S SHOPPING LOCAL!
Islanders avoid a 50-mile groceries trip – by buying up their village shop
ITS closure would have forced residents of a tiny village to travel 50 miles just to buy a loaf of bread.
But villagers in Carbost in Skye have saved themselves an arduous groceries trip – by buying up their local store instead.
The shop was at risk of closing for good after the previous owner struggled to find a buyer so she could retire.
But the Carbost Community Shop has now been bought up by islanders, with the shop employing four locals and adding different cheeses, fresh meat and local gin to its stock.
Residents feared its closure would leave them facing a 50-mile round trip to Portree – amid high fuel prices and winter weather.
The store is now a community interest company, meaning it exists to benefit the surrounding area, with all profits going towards the shop and employing staff.
David Smith, a volunteer director at Carbost Community Shop Company, said: ‘If the shop had gone, it would have had a real impact on those living here. If you lived at Fiskavaig, which is around five miles from Carbost, you would have been looking at a 50-mile round trip to Portree and even further to Broadford. If it had closed down, it would have been very difficult.
‘It’s a focal point for the community; it’s not just about shopping.’
The community group paid £140,000 for the premises, with money secured from the Scottish Land Fund, which also covered some refurbishments.
Formerly an ‘old tin shack’, it now has a distinctive new red iron roof, with toilets and heating.
Mr Smith said: ‘Our staff are well known in the community and trusted by everyone. They get a sense of what people need from the store.
‘Before, the shop didn’t stock fresh meat, but now we get two deliveries a week and people can phone us up to put an order in.
‘We have got more products from Skye on the shelf and a lot more different cheeses. There’s a new distillery in Broadford and we are stocking their gin.’
Mr Smith is a retired health consultant and one of three directors who give their time on a voluntary basis.
He said the shop was constantly reviewing prices and comparing them to the Co-op in Portree.
He added: ‘Our main competition is people who work in Portree and who do their shopping there.
‘Another competitor is the Tesco deliveries to the island, but these slots are few and far between, and not everyone has the internet.’
‘A focal point for the community’