A hugely supportive village community greeted the opening of SPAR Nafferton in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
The new 3,000 sq. ft. store and Shell forecourt had a long queue of locals arriving an hour before opening, eager to see the transformation that had taken place at the former Five Ways Service Station site.
Located in New Road, just off the A614 between Driffield and Bridlington, the SPAR convenience store opened to the public at 11.02am after an impeccably marked two-minute silence for D-Day where customers joined together with the store team on the forecourt.
Vice chairman of East Riding of Yorkshire Council Cllr Liam Dealtry cut the ribbon to formally declare the store open and he was joined by chair of Nafferton Parish Council Cllr Cathy Milan.
The new SPAR store is owned and serviced by James Hall & Co. Ltd, and it has created 30 jobs.
Highlight store features include company brands with a Graham Eyes butchers, Clayton Park deli, and Cheeky Coffee machine, and these are sat alongside a comprehensive range of convenience goods and big-name brands at low prices.
A family fun day also supported the opening with the SPAR mascot attending and a choir performance from Nafferton Primary School. A raffle was held, with the star prize being a SPAR hamper, and all proceeds went to SPAR UK national charity partner Marie Curie.
Outside of store is a six-pump Shell livery forecourt, an air and water machine, and customer parking, and an ATM. Opening hours are between 7am and 10pm, seven days a week.
Nigel Sawyer was one of the first customers through the doors. He said: “We have lived in Nafferton for many years and the butchers is extremely promising. It’s perfect, on the doorstep, and it will be particularly useful on a good day like today for a barbecue. It really is an impressive store, and the village has been missing this.”
Chrissie Heaven, another Nafferton resident, said: “The butcher does my favourite cut, rib of beef, which I have been struggling to get from anywhere else. I cannot wait to try it. There is also an excellent fresh food range. The SPAR is a great asset for the community, and I think the store will live up to my surname – heaven!”
Steve Preston, also from the village, said: “I just cannot get over how good it is. It’s going to do really well on summer weekends. It is much more appealing walking in here than into a supermarket. The produce and the range of items on the shelves are brilliant. SPAR have done the job right, and I will definitely be coming back to shop here.”
In the run up to launch, SPAR have supported a range of community groups, organisations, and schools in the local area.
Nafferton Scouts are to receive a £500 donation and SPAR is the glass sponsor of the upcoming Nafferton Recreation Club Beer Festival in July.
Nafferton Youth Football Club’s under-13s away kit will have the SPAR logo on it for the 2024/25 season, with SPAR also sponsoring player of the match announcements.
Burton Agnes CE Primary School nearby have also been successful in their application for a SPAR Sports Day grant which will see £200 donated to support the school’s summer event.
Fiona Drummond, company stores director at James Hall & Co. Ltd, also visited Nafferton Primary School alongside Wilf Whittle, fresh trading manager at James Hall & Co. Ltd, to talk more about SPAR as a business, the Nafferton SPAR store, and the products that are on the shelves.
Drummond said: “We have been genuinely overwhelmed with the response from people in Nafferton to the launch of our new SPAR store. The feedback has been outstanding, and I have also relished getting out and about locally to support its opening which has only added to the enthusiasm in the area.
“The store range is perfectly suited to Nafferton and the surrounding villages, and we have a great Shell forecourt too. Our locally employed store team will drive great standards and continue to build community links, and when you combine everything together, I think it is a recipe for success and it has been one of our best launches to date.”
James Hall & Co. Ltd is a fifth-generation family business which serves a network of independent SPAR retailers and company-owned SPAR stores across Northern England.
