‘You’ll come to us one day’: North Devon c-stores join SPAR

Store owner Colin Lincoln and his business partner Steve Bicknell have moved three North Devon convenience stores from Premier to SPAR.

The stores at Bickington, Whiddon Valley and Frankmarsh near Barnstaple, have all been converted to SPAR. Colin and Steve also operate a Post Office at nearby Braunton.

“Appleby Westward’s new store recruitment team had been calling on us for years and said, ‘You’ll come to us one day’,” said Colin. “They were proved right in the end; the service we were getting from Booker was not what it was and so we decided to make the move.

“We are happy we made the change. There’s no doubt the SPAR range is better, and we have had positive comments from our customers.”

Colin has spent all his career in retail and moved to North Devon from West Sussex, acquiring Bickington Stores and Post Office in 2006. In 2012 he and Steve bought Whiddon Valley Stores, followed a year later by Frankmarsh Stores.

“All three stores are modern and in good order,” said Colin. “However, we developed Bickington in February adding more space for spirits, vapes and swapping the gantry for cigarette drawers. We are now looking at Frankmarsh and Whiddon Valley, and have no regrets moving to SPAR.”