MP congratulates local store
6th July 2011
Hemel Hempstead MP Mike Penning visited convenience store Nisa Local in Crabtree Lane to congratulate the managers and staff on their My Shop is Your Shop (MSYS) award for community retailing. The MSYS award recognises the significant contribution the store has made to the neighbourhood since opening last year.
The Crabtree Lane store is one of six stores in the area owned by Kishor and Pat Patel.
Mike said:
“Kishor is a real character – a local entrepreneur who has worked hard to create a store that the community can be proud of. And when it comes to charity and local activities, he doesn’t just donate a cheque; he gets heavily involved – as anyone who was at the Hemel 7’s weekend could plainly see. Independent retailers like Kishor are the lifeblood of the community; he and Pat deserve every encouragement for their efforts in these challenging times.
“The team here really understand that it's the extra care they give to customers, the cheerful welcome you always get here, which makes this shop special and a real asset to the community. They are well-deserved of this award.”
The Nisa team support local events including the Hemel Sevens, a football tournament with more than 200 teams taking part, as well as sponsoring a local judo club.
Kishor Patel, who will shortly be leading a group from the local store to visit Parliament to highlight the importance of local stores, added: “Our staff are proud to be part of this vibrant community and we are so pleased with the kind words of encouragement we have received from so many of our customers since we re-opened the store. The revamp has allowed us the space to stock over 5,000 products – twice the number of a ‘normal’ multiple convenience stores.
“We are equally proud to support local charities as well as to sponsor sporting activities such as the famous ‘Hemel 7’s’ football competition and the Bury Judo Club. We have had a brilliant year and look forward to many, many more in the future – we would like to thank all of our customers for their loyal support over the last twelve months; we really do appreciate it.”
David Visick of the My Shop is Your Shop campaign said: “This is a great example to other independent stores of how to engage with the community which can be hugely beneficial for your business.”
