Owners take second jobs at warehouse after string of thefts at their shop
Customer has set up a fundraiser to help them out
A COUPLE who run a convenience store in Hinckley have been forced to take up a second job as they are struggling to make ends meet.
Brijesh Koladiya, 34, and his wife Fwati, 31, have owned Premier Express on Ashby Road for the past six years.
In order to keep up with the bills and clear some heavy debts, they now each work 40 hours a week in night shifts at an Amazon warehouse in Rugby.
Mr Koladiya said: “It’s hard work because we have to find and scan the parcels in Amazon.
“My manager asks why I look tired all the time. I have explained the situation, that I work half the day in the shop, half the day in the warehouse.”
The store opens at 7am in the week, meaning that Mr Koladiya only gets an hour’s sleep after coming back from the warehouse before having to open the shop again.
The managers have had to reduce their stock recently, as they say they have been affected by Lidl and Aldi opening over the summer.
An Asda superstore is also a short drive from the shop, off Barwell Lane.
One concerned shopper who saw the depleted shelves posted on the
Spotted Hinckley Facebook page urging people to support the store.
Craig Davison, 42, who lives near the shop, set up a fundraiser for the business after he read the post.
He said: “The best way to really help would be to shop in their more often.
“The family seem to have had a hard time recently. We want to get them back on their feet.”
Mr Koladiya said he was delighted to hear about the campaign to support them.
He said: impressed. I
“I’m really didn’t know about this, that people care about my shop and us.
“The last six years in this shop have been worth it.
“I have built up credit with my customers.”
The shop is next to a Cantonese takeaway and a few doors along from the
Ashby Tavern.
The business was hit by shoplifting in June and September 2018 and again in January 2019, with the owners spending £2,000 on shutters and an alarm system.
“They came into the shop and took things and go away. The police can’t do anything”, said Brijesh.
“It’s me and my wife running the shop, we don’t have staff because we can’t afford it. The bills are very high, with the electricity and the alcohol licence.”
There was also an armed robbery at the store in 2016 when thousands of pounds worth of cigarettes and alcohol were stolen at gunpoint.
Two men from Leicester were convicted of the crime and jailed for a total of seven years and eight months.
Independent grocers Caves, which was at the bottom end of Castle Street in the town centre, closed in October of this year after more than 50 years of doing business.
You can support the fundraising campaign on the gofundme website.