Kay Patel always takes adversity as a challenge, and her determination to prioritise and succeed won her the Businesswoman of the Year award
“Remaining in your comfort zone is a barrier,” according to Kay Patel, who has made a career of attaining success by being uncomfortable and testing herself to the limits.
Over three decades, Kay has transformed her business from a small independent store to a multi-million-pound enterprise, navigating personal and professional challenges with grace and determination. And, the dynamic entrepreneur behind six thriving convenience stores in Surrey has been recognised as the Businesswoman of the Year at the 2023 Asian Trader Awards.
“I did step out of my comfort zone, and I did do things. I used to do banking as well, and I obviously have to accommodate other aspects of my life. It's all about prioritising what is first,” she says. “And sometimes you've got to put yourself in there as well.”
Kay's foray into the retail industry began in 1997 when she and her then-husband acquired their first store in Box Hill, Surrey. At just 20 years old and two weeks postpartum, Kay faced the dual challenge of motherhood and entrepreneurship. But her passion for retail shone through.
“I always want to do my own business. I became a very young mother, and it was a challenge. But if you're ambitious enough and you have a motive to work towards it, I think you can balance anything in life. I just took that as strength and then carried on,” she recollects.
Growing up in a business environment, Kay was inspired by her father Jagdish Patel, who came here from Africa in 1972 and worked in a plastic-making factory, before opening his own a store in Croydon. They later moved to Surrey and from a young age Kay accompanied her father to the cash and carry, and helped with the accounts, which sparked her interest in retail.
In 1998, the Box Hill store became a Costcutter, marking the beginning of Kay's association with the symbol group. Over the next decade she expanded her portfolio, acquiring and running several stores. This period also saw Kay balancing her growing family and a part-time job as a banking advisor.
“I think organisation is a secret to balance, giving the correct job the right priority,” she says. “You've just got to make sure you're ready for every situation and be a little bit more organised – although with children, young children, you cannot always be organised. But I always prioritised what was first.”
Resilience in adversity
Kay's resilience was profoundly tested in 2020, a year marked by personal and professional upheaval. Following her divorce in February and her mother's passing in September, disaster struck in December when a fire destroyed her prized Witley Village Stores. The fire, occurring during the festive season and amid the global pandemic, left Kay without her primary source of income.
“It was such a tough, challenging time. The fire destroyed the only source of income I had at that time, so financially it was a struggle and mentally I was exhausted,” she reflects.
Despite these challenges, Kay's determination never wavered. With the moral support from her three children, she rebuilt the store, transforming it into a larger, more modern establishment. The reopened site saw a 50 per cent growth in weekly sales, a testament to Kay's ability to turn adversity into opportunity.
“It wasn't easy,” she says. “My kids were there for me, and they were my strength and the ambition to carry on. I don't know how to describe it, to be honest. It was the phase that if I collapsed, then my whole world will collapse, including my kids. But if I kept fighting and going on, it meant I would build a better future for the children. So for me, as for all mothers, their kids are priority, and I think that's what I took down as the strength and carried on thinking I need to do this, not only for myself, but for my children as well.”
Her oldest daughter is a pharmacist, and the elder of the two sons has joined her in the business after graduation, while the younger is “setting out to do his own thing”.
Prior to the fire she had made commitments to buy other stores, so it was tougher getting the finance in place with a closed store. But she secured funding to grow the business, which saw the addition of four more Surrey stores during 2021. She bought her latest store in December last year.
Each new acquisition showcased her strategic vision and innovative approach. For instance, Kay's Costcutter Cranfield, which had been closed for 11 months due to Covid-19, saw a remarkable turnaround, with takings growing from £9,000 to £22,000 and still increasing.
Creativity and attention to detail are hallmarks of Kay's business philosophy. Her stores feature unique elements such as the “Play as you Go” area at the Cranfield store, where children can play with new and exciting toys while their parents shop. This innovation not only enhances the shopping experience but also boosts sales of these toys.
“We interact with our customers, and ask them questions as to, ‘What would you like in your local store?’. We have a lot of ideas, and it's not always possible to do everything, because we have to be very cost effective, but we try and incorporate what they suggest and their opinions,” she says.
“And we also ask the team, because I've got a lot of local staff that work for me, and they know the community very well.”
Empowering her team
Kay's success is not hers alone; she attributes much of it to her dedicated team. She believes in leading by example and creating an environment where her employees feel valued and empowered.
“I think initiative is a big thing. You should always praise them for what they do. Although I own the business, they are facing the customer. So I think they need to feel valued at all times and make sure they have the right training in order for them to carry on the right duties, to expand the business, and to build that relationship with the customers as well,” she says.
Kay's approach to management includes comprehensive training programmes, regular one-on-one meetings, and team-building activities. She fosters a culture of open communication and continuous learning, encouraging her staff to take initiative and learn from their mistakes.
“Training is a key thing. I have a portfolio of my own, basically shop training, alcohol training, the compliances, health and safety, all that. We try and do all that once every three months, and keep on top of it. And then, obviously, just making sure that the team actually practice that on an everyday basis,” she explains.
Kay also emphasises cleanliness and presentation, believing that a clean and hygienic environment attracts customers.
“We have a checklist for morning, afternoon, evening. For example, we make sure our coffee machine gets cleaned at least three times a day, because that's something customers are looking at. They want to see that hygiene. Dusty shelves are not always appreciated. I think a clean and hygienic environment also brings the customers in, and that's what we work towards every day,” she says.
Community engagement
For Kay, who has been a parish councilor for six years, business is not just about profits; it is about giving back to the community. She views her stores as community hubs and actively engages with local schools and sports clubs.
Local sourcing is another cornerstone of Kay's business.
“We specialise in fine wines and spirits in one of the stores. We have our local breweries. We have our local bread supply, local eggs. And we don't really source them. They actually come to us because we're all about helping small businesses. It's very important that these small businesses survive as well. So any little help that we can give by purchasing from them, I think it's a great idea, because it puts revenue back into the community,” she notes.
She highlights how the local businesses stepped up during the pandemic, when stores faced availability issues.
“It was the small businesses that actually delivered the bread, the eggs, and the flour. We used to buy a 10 kilo bag of flour to bag up on the premises and do one kilo each and sell it, because we couldn't get any flour, any pasta,” she says. “It was the small businesses that actually kept us going as well. So, it goes around in a circle, doesn't it?”
It’s the journey
Kay is a strong advocate for women in retail and she says winning the Businesswoman of the Year award from Asian Trader was a proud moment for her.
“I was absolutely gobsmacked when I was nominated, and I felt very proud,” she says. “Think about it, after 30 years, I was recognised. I've been doing this for 30 years. It's a very long time, and to achieve an award after all this, because you don't expect anything. You just keep going. You do what you're good at, you do what you're good at, you do what you're good at. Very rarely, someone comes up to you and says, ‘You know what? someone else is actually proud of you’.”
While she thinks that women are now getting more recognised than they were before, she would like to see even more of it.
“There are a lot of women out there that do a lot of things, but not their skills and their knowledge and their efforts, they're not appreciated,” she says.
“When Asian Trader brought out the Businesswoman of the Year award, I think it was a fantastic thing. They actually recognised that women are in business, and they do have a business head. They can also run a business successfully, as successfully as running their home and looking after the kids,” she says.
She encourages young women to pursue their dreams, emphasising the importance of the journey rather than the destination.
“I think they should go ahead and listen to what they want to do. It can be a challenge, but I think every challenge is a learning curve, and I think they should go out there in the world and show their talent and show that they've actually got something to give back to the community,” she says.
“It's not about the destination, it's about the journey. Destination could be anywhere, you can reach your destination as in little time as you want to, but it’s the journey that you actually live towards it, the learning curves you learn, the people you meet, the friends you make – the enemies you make!”
In fact, you’ll see a canvas with this quote – “It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey” – In each of her stores.
“Although everybody reaches their destination, everything they learn through reaching that destination is important. That's my motive. It will always be so,” Kay concludes.
New data published this week by LINK, the UK’s cash access and ATM network, showed that consumers withdrew £79.5 billion from cash machines in 2024, a 1.2 per cent reduction compared to 2023.
In total, adults over the age of 16 made 915 million cash withdrawals last year, 60 million (6.1%) fewer than in 2023. This equates to approximately 16 trips to the ATM per person, with an average withdrawal of £86 each time, totalling £1,424 over the year.
ATMs account for 93 per cent of all cash withdrawals in the UK, ahead of cashback and counter transactions at bank branches, post offices, and banking hubs.
Regional differences
Since the pandemic, with more people opting for contactless and digital payments, cash and ATM usage has declined significantly. However, cash remains popular, with regular LINK research showing around 75 per cent of adults using cash at least once a fortnight. While people are visiting ATMs less frequently, they are withdrawing more cash per visit.
The data reveals that every region and nation across the UK saw a fall in total cash withdrawals, with the largest declines in Scotland and London. Interestingly, the North-East of England and Wales experienced small increases in the total value of cash withdrawn.
Northern Ireland remains the most cash-heavy part of the UK, with banking customers withdrawing an average of £2,274 in 2024. The second and third most cash-heavy regions were Yorkshire and the Humber (£1,696) and the North-East (£1,682). Yorkshire was the only region where the average withdrawal increased, rising just over 2 per cent from £1,658. ATM usage was lowest in the South-West, where the average customer withdrew £1,030, closely followed by the South-East (£1,030).
ATM numbers
As cash use continues its long-term decline, the number of ATMs has also fallen. By the end of 2024, there were 5 per cent fewer cash machines compared to the end of 2023 (48,401 vs 46,182). Of these, 37,361 are free-to-use, down from 38,480, and 8,821 are charging ATMs, down from 9,921.
LINK noted that it has multiple financial inclusion programmes in place, as well as a statutory obligation, to ensure everyone has good free access to cash. An unchanged 9 in 10 people still live within 1km of a free cash access point, such as an ATM, post office, or banking hub.
In 2024, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) introduced new rules to protect access to cash across the UK. These rules include measures requiring LINK to independently assess the needs of a location following the closure of a bank branch. Communities can also request LINK to assess their high street if they believe it lacks appropriate cash services.
To date, LINK has recommended 184 banking hubs and over 100 deposit services to support cash in the community. These are being delivered by Cash Access UK, which opened the 100th banking hub in late 2024.
“Cash usage is falling in line with our own expectations as more people choose to shop online or pay with card. However, cash remains popular for many reasons,” Graham Mott, director of strategy at LINK, said.
“Our own research shows that millions still rely on it because they’re not confident, able, or can afford to use digital payments. For those on low budgets, there’s still no better alternative to managing your finances than using notes and coins. Notwithstanding, as we saw last year during the CrowdStrike IT issues, if and when systems go down, cash is quite often the only option.
“LINK’s job is to protect access to cash, which means that even as cash and ATM use falls, we will continue to ensure that every street is protected. We’re also pleased that we have recommended almost 200 banking hubs, allowing people and businesses that rely on cash to be able to readily access and deposit cash.”
Morrisons has announced its trading update for the fourth quarter (Q4) and full year 2023/24, showcasing a robust performance marked by significant operational and financial improvements.
The supermarket chain reported its strongest quarterly like-for-like (LFL) sales growth in nearly four years, alongside a notable increase in underlying EBITDA and total revenue.
For the 52 weeks ending 27 October 2024, Morrisons achieved a 4.1 per cent increase in Group LFL sales, with Q4 LFL sales rising by 4.9 per cent - the highest quarterly growth since early 2021. Underlying EBITDA surged by 11.2 per cent to £835 million, while total revenue climbed 3.8 per cent to £15.3 billion for the full year. Q4 revenue also saw a strong uptick, increasing by 4.8 per cent to £3.8 billion.
“This has been a year of urgent reinvigoration and positive progress for Morrisons. Customer transactions increased, market share grew from Q2, and we saw positive switching from our competitors,” Rami Baitiéh, chief executive, said, adding that improvements in availability, pricing, promotions, and the loyalty scheme have driven the financial performance.
The Morrisons More Card has been a standout success, with linked sales growing to 68 per cent at the year-end and reaching 76 per cent by the time of the update. “The More Card is firmly established as a customer favourite after a stunning year,” Baitiéh noted, with 3.5 million Morrisons Fivers redeemed during the two-week Christmas period.
Morrisons expanded its convenience store estate to over 1,600 stores and acquired 36 convenience stores in the Channel Islands in November 2024.
Two men have been arrested in connection with a series of armed robberies at convenience stores in mid-Ulster, which took place on Thursday (30).
The first incident occurred just before 7am at McCrystal’s Day-Today, a filling station on Ballinderry Bridge Road in Coagh. Two masked men, one wielding a handgun, entered the store and threatened staff, holding a weapon to one man's head before forcing him to open the till.
Shortly after, a second robbery took place at a supermarket on Shore Road in Ballyronan. Again, two armed men threatened staff at gunpoint, placing the firearm to the head of an employee before fleeing with cash and a quantity of cigarettes.
A third armed robbery was later reported at Lynch’s Spar on Moor Road in Clonoe, where the suspects again stole cash before making their escape.
Police Service of Northern Ireland informed, "Staff were threatened by two masked men - and were ordered to hand over a sum of cash.
“A blue Audi A6 – believed to have been used by the suspects, was stolen from outside an address in Portadown and later found on fire at Drumcree Community Centre.
“Tonight, Mid Ulster detectives conducted a number of searches at properties in the Churchill Park area of Portadown. Two men, aged in their 30s and 50s, were arrested on suspicion of a number of offences in connection with the investigation.
"An electronic device was also seized for forensic examination. “They have both been taken to police custody for questioning."
Meanwhile, the incident was slammed by a leading Northern Ireland retailers' body.
Commenting on the three-armed robberies of Retail NI members in Mid Ulster, Retail NI Chief Executive Glyn Roberts said, "“These robberies on our members are utterly disgraceful and if anyone in the local community has any information, please contact the PSNI”.
“We shouldn’t forget these are independent retailers that go above and beyond to serve their local community. Our thoughts are with the staff who have traumatised by these despicable attacks”.
“Retailers are sadly experiencing record levels of assault of shop staff, shoplifting and robberies. It is crucially important that the Department of Justice include the assault of shop staff in the forthcoming Sentencing Bill”.
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A general view of the Sevington Inland Border Facility sign on February 09, 2024 in Ashford, UK
The delayed third phase of Britain's post-Brexit border regime for imports from the European Union will begin on Friday - four years after Britain left the bloc's single market and nine years after it voted to leave the EU.
After Brexit, such was the scale of Britain's task to untangle supply chains and erect customs borders, that it only started imposing new rules last year.
The first phase of Britain's new border model requiring additional certification for some goods came into force at the end of January last year. A second phase followed at the end of April, introducing physical checks at ports for products such as meat, fish, cheese, eggs, dairy products and some cut flowers. New charges were also introduced.
From Friday, a third phase, delayed from Oct. 31 last year, will kick off, with businesses moving goods from the EU to Britain required to comply with new UK safety and security declaration requirements - detailed information about the products being shipped.
HM Revenue and Customs said mandatory collection of the data would enable "more intelligent risking of goods", with legitimate goods less likely to be held up at the border. It said this would mean less disruption to businesses whilst preventing illegal and dangerous goods entering the UK.
But it warned businesses that declarations must be submitted before goods arrived at the UK border to avoid them being held up for unnecessary checks and possible penalties.
While Britain's major retailers and large EU exporting businesses have the resources to handle the demands of the new border regime, smaller retailers and wholesalers have complained it is disproportionately burdensome.
Plans to extend physical checks to fruit and vegetables have been delayed several times and in September last year were pushed out again to July 1 this year.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said on Sunday, she was "happy to look at" an idea, put forward last week by European Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, that Britain could join a pan-European customs scheme. The scheme is not the same as the EU's full customs union, which the Labour government has said it will not rejoin.
Many people working in shops in Hartlepool Borough are "afraid to come to work" due to fear of violence and abuse linked to thefts, shows a recent survey of businesses.
The feedback forms part of a consultation on the experiences of business owners and retailer held by Hartlepool Borough Council. The survey was carried out from November to January, BBC reported citing the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Respondents talked about a "fear of violence, verbal abuse and threatening behaviour", council officers said.
At an audit and governance committee meeting held recently, scrutiny and legal support officer Gemma Jones said some businesses reported their staff had "experienced actual violence".
Speaking about the criminals targeting shops and businesses, scrutiny manager Joan Stevens said, "The cohort of reoffenders is relatively small and they're responsible for a large amount of the retail crime or thefts that exist in the town."
She added that data indicated "over 50 per cent of theft appears to be driven by substance misuse issues", which was supported by findings from police interviews with offenders.
Meanwhile, the meeting was told "it didn't appear that the cost of living crisis was a significant impact" in driving retail crime.
The consultation was carried out as part of the committee's investigation into "ways of designing out and reducing incidents of retail crime".
It will culminate in a final report in March.Councillors also saw data from Cleveland Police which indicated that "70 per cent of thefts in Hartlepool are actually undertaken by 12 individuals".
The survey report comes a day after it was reported that theft and violence against retail workers in Britain soared to record levels last year and are "out of control", driven partly by criminal gangs.
Industry body the British Retail Consortium's (BRC) annual crime survey released on Thursday (30) found more than 20 million incidents of theft were committed in the year to 31 August 2024, which equates to 55,000 a day, costing retailers a total £2.2 billion.
The BRC said many more incidents in the latest period were linked to organised crime, with gangs systematically targeting stores across the country.
Incidents of violence and abuse in 2023/24 climbed to over 2,000 per day, up from 1,300 the year before. This is more than three times what it was in 2020, when there were just 455 incidents a day.
Incidents included racial or sexual abuse, physical assault or threats with weapons. There were 70 incidents per day which involved a weapon, more than double the previous year.