In many parts of the world, the local corner convenience store plays an important role in both bringing together communities and providing access to basic foods in places where the nearest major supermarket is a drive away.
In New York City, the small independent stores selling everything from packaged snacks and staples such as eggs and millk to made-to-order breakfast sandwiches are called “bodegas” while in the Canadian province of Québec a similar concept in both cities and suburbs is called the “dépanneur” (in French, to be “en panne” means that something is broken or otherwise not functioning while the “de” prefix turns the word into the solution for getting out of the problem).
Global terms for the convenience store include the “kombini” in Japan, the “dairy” in New Zealand and the “bakkal” in Türkiye.
Premier Foreways closes all five stores after entering liquidation
In the United Kingdom, the term “corner shop” similarly refers to the independent convenience store that traditionally sold snacks, grocery basics and newspapers. Most are located at the corner of an intersection and can be found in both urban and suburban environments.
While serving an important community need, convenience shops has not been immune to the many market challenges faced by independent operators in an ever-changing retail environment.
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This week, the Premier Foreways chain in the UK has confirmed that it will close all five of its locations after entering liquidation. The first of the convenience stores was opened out of Carlisle in northwestern England around 1986 and sold the usual selection of prepackaged foods, some fresh grocery basics, various soft and alcoholic drinks and daily newspapers.
While the wider Premier brand has been owned by British supermarket giant Tesco since 1996, the Foreways stores were all independently-owned and run by local husband-and-wife duo Billy and Jenny Bone.
Local Cumbria-based financial advisory firm Armstrong Watson has been appointed as liquidator while the five shops that will close are located in Carlisle’s Wigton Road, Bedford Road, Blackwell Road, Newlaithes Avenue, and Warwick Road.
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Why is the Premier Foreways chain closing after 40 years
“We can confirm that Armstrong Watson has been instructed by the directors to assist them in placing the company into liquidation,” a representative of Premier Foreways said in the company’s statement.
Premier Foreways representatives could not be immediately reached for comment on the details of the financial situation that led to the liquidation but local residents reported seeing emptying shelves in the weeks before the closures were officially announced.
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For many Carlisle locals, the Premier Foreways brand held an important role in childhood and other memories over the last four decades of operation; many lambasted the closure as a “shame” and sense that “everything is closing” in favor of mega-chains and online hopping.
“Absolutely gutted for Billy, Jenny and all the staff,” local Kaz Osborne wrote on Facebook of one location. “They have been fantastic bosses — gave each one of my kids jobs and helped them grow and move on to other things.”
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