Pair end their time in shop with top award
NEWSAGENTS LEAVE AFTER 24 YEARS WITH CUSTOMER-NOMINATED HONOUR
THE owners of a Newcastle newsagent have received the perfect leaving gift as they say goodbye to their shop after 24 years.
Husband and wife Rakesh and Anita Kohli bought Newsbox Newsagents on Chillingham Road, Heaton, in 1997.
The couple, both 56, described their career as “great fun”, where customers came to feel more like friends.
And in the days before they shut up shop for the final time, their contribution to the community was honoured with a prestigious award.
Rakesh, who is known locally as Ray, said: “We were over the moon when we won an award for our work. Receiving the award was a really good way to end our time at the shop. It meant a lot as we won it from nominations from customers.”
Rakesh and Anita, from High Heaton, won the North of England Community Award at the annual NFRN (The Federation of Independent Retailers) awards. They were also shortlisted for the national award.
It provided the “cherry on the cake” for the couple who decided to sell the business this year to enjoy a “well-deserved break” following more than two decades of hard work and early starts.
They have also worked tirelessly throughout the coronavirus pandemic to ensure customers could access essentials.
And Rakesh delivered items to elderly and vulnerable customers to help them stay safe at home.
He added: “We have a lot of elderly and loyal customers and we wanted to help. Our priority was to make sure they had whatever they needed, but they would often worry about how they were going to pay.
“I would tell them not to worry about the money. That can be sorted when this is all over. Taking care of the community is what mattered to us.”
The couple, who married in 1989, decided to buy the business as it was close to home and potential schools for their children Rishi and Rohan, who were aged five and two at the time.
They had no previous experience of running a newsagents, but Rakesh had often helped out at his dad’s general dealers, Ronnie’s, on Ayton Street, in Byker.
While they say they will not miss starting work at 5am, they admit that they will miss the community, the fun, laughter and jokes that were enjoyed throughout the years.
Rakesh said: “It’s been hard work, but great fun. We’ve loved running the business in Heaton, it’s such a lovely community. The people are great, friendly and helpful.
“And once you get to know people they become more like friends and family than customers. On our last day we were send flowers and gifts - there were tears.”
Rakesh and Anita have now sold the business to new owners who will continue to trade as a newsagents.
A FORMER Newcastle city centre branch of Starbucks looks set to be transformed into a new cafe.
The coffee shop, in a prominent location on Grainger Street near Grey’s Monument, closed its doors in September 2019.
At the time the chain said it regularly reviewed its portfolio to ensure its cafes were based in “relevant” places for its customers “while also maintaining healthy business growth”.
Now plans have been revealed which could see the site given a new lease of life as a cafe under new ownership.
A licensing application has been submitted to Newcastle City Council for a new coffee shop called the ‘Bluebird Cafe.’
The proposals have been lodged by Zafer Saygilier, who owns seven pubs in Newcastle and Northumberland including Soho and Greenhouse.
The application is for a cafe operating over the ground floor and basement with an external seating area to the front.
It states: “The premises will operate as a cafe providing food and drink for consumption on and off the premises.
GIVEN NEW LEASE OF LIFE
“The premises will trade primarily as a cafe and sale or supply of alcohol will be ancillary to the premises’ main use as a cafe.”
The unit has been empty for around 18 months but following the closure there were still six branches of the coffee giant in central Newcastle and Jesmond.
In December last year the Grainger Street site became one of several unused buildings to be given a festive window design as part of a project by NE1 with some of the region’s awardwinning illustrators and artists.
Last September we revealed how Mr Saygilier would be the operator of the revamped Balmbra’s bar.
The historic pub – immortalised in the Geordie folk song The Blaydon Races – was renovated as part of a Heritage Lottery-backed project to breathe new life into the city’s Bigg Market.