A popular convenience store at the heart of the community in Clydebank, Glasgow has been changed hands after nearly four decades.
Located in a housing scheme, Singh Stores has built up a loyal customer base for its wide range of convenience items. The store has been owned and operated by Billy and Bal Singh for 38 years and was sold as they are looking to retire.
The business has been sold through specialist business property adviser Christie & Co.
“I had the pleasure of working with Liam Bain as my selling agent for the sale of my family business, and I couldn't be happier with the experience,” Billy commented on the sale.
“I was also very impressed with the marketing process. My business was advertised on various forums to ensure that it was showcased and advertised to all potential buyers. I could not thank Christie & Co and Liam more for his negotiation skills, resulting in a fantastic outcome for me as the seller.”
The store has been purchased by an experienced local operator who is looking to refit and develop the business.
Liam Bain, business agent at Christie & Co who handled the sale, said: “We originally tried to create a new lease for the business, but quickly found from the interest received that there was strong buyer demand to purchase the property. After several viewings, we accepted a cash offer at asking price. I’m delighted to have achieved a successful sale for Billy and Bal and wish them all the best with retirement.”
EG On The Move has completed its acquisition of Applegreen UK’s convenience and fuel retail network, adding 98 sites and approximately 40 foodservice concessions to its portfolio.
The deal, described by EG On The Move as a move to "create a retail powerhouse" in the independent petrol forecourt sector, underscores the company's strategic push to broaden its UK footprint.
With the completion of the transaction, EG On The Move now operates 151 petrol forecourt sites nationwide, alongside 209 foodservice concessions. The expansion also enhances its EV infrastructure, with around 40 locations offering more than 200 rapid charging ports.
As part of the acquisition, the group has also taken over the Applegreen fuel card business.
EG On The Move stated that this addition will strengthen its ability to offer tailored fuel solutions for commercial and fleet customers, while maximising synergies across its growing network.
EG On the Move chief executive Zuber Issa said: “We look forward to integrating the Applegreen UK business into EG On The Move.
“This acquisition is a natural fit, and enables EG On The Move to continue to redefine convenience retail and mobility for our customers, with a strong focus on quality, innovation, and sustainability.”
He added that customers and stakeholders can expect a “seamless transition”, while the 1,142 staff members working at the 98 sites are expected to transfer to EG On The Move as part of the transaction.
Applegreen Europe COO and Welcome Break CEO John Diviney said, “Following completion of this transaction, Applegreen remains committed to the UK market through our majority stake in Motorway Services Area (MSA) operator Welcome Break, and our growing EV charging business.
“We have a strong pipeline of new MSAs to develop, and recently opened our new £55 million state-of-the-art location at Junction 33 of the M1 at Rotherham.”
The British rappers, who recently announced the opening of a new supermarket, states that they were tired of going from shop to shop in their hometown to find the culturally diverse products they need and decided to take matters into their own hands.
The new supermarket named Saveways opened today (1).
Award-winning duo Casyo Johnson and Karl Wilson, known in the music world as Krept and Konan and the voices behind the 2015 hit "Freak of the Week", grew up in Croydon, south London, where about 40 per cent of residents identified as Black or Asian in a 2021 census.
But the duo say many of those communities are underserved by small local convenience stores and that the "world food" aisles in some of the major grocery chains often lack in product variety - a gap they hope to fill with their new 15,000 square foot supermarket, "Saveways", which opens on Saturday.
"We want people to feel seen," said Konan, who along with Krept was awarded a British Empire Medal in 2020 for their services to music and the community in Croydon. "We want people to feel that they've got a place that represents them when they want to get their specific food."
Shelves have been stocked with hundreds of spices, different types of beans, rice and cooking oils. Shoppers will also be able to bulk-buy halal meat, exotic fish and fruits, as well as ethnic hair and beauty products.
There is a prayer room and a comment box near the checkouts where shoppers can make requests for new products.
The idea to open a "one-stop-shop" with products tailored to Black, Asian and ethnic communities was pitched to Krept and Konan by their business partner, Kaysor Ali, who has known the rappers for more than 15 years.
"There is a lot of heart behind it and that's where it really comes from," Ali said. "To bridge that gap ... because no one has ever really done it - not to this standard."
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”.