Today (26 March) the House of Commons published an Early Day motion tabled by Joanna Cherry QC MP, with cross-party support, praising the work of convenience store owners and their staff during the current Covid-19 outbreak.
Approximately 44,000 people work in the industry and there have been stories from all over Scotland of corner shops making sure their older and vulnerable customers have been looked after.
Cherry commented: “Shopworkers across Scotland have really stepped up during the Covid-19 outbreak in supermarkets and small shops across the country. However, in many ways, it has been our corner shops who have kept Scotland going.
“Convenience store owners are pillars of their communities and we have heard many heart-warming stories about how they are going above and beyond to support their local customers. Corner shops have fantastic relationships with their customers and instinctively lookout for them.
In my constituency of Edinburgh South West, Dennis and Linda Williams at Oxgangs Broadway have been doing really amazing work supporting folk with home deliveries of groceries and home-cooked meals and making multiple round trips to ensure vulnerable folk who have to isolate can still top up gas and electricity meters.”
SGF boss Pete Cheema added: “We are delighted that Joanna has tabled this motion and shown such tremendous support for our industry. At a time of national emergency convenience stores – backed up by our key wholesalers – are ensuring the supply of essential groceries and helping to reduce the impact of panic buying. Convenience stores are providing vital services such as ATMs, deliveries, bill payment facilities and Post Offices. They are treating customers as important people with individual needs and giving our communities the resilience they need to pull through these testing times.”
