Together with a village hall and a pub, a shop is key to making a village feel like a community. Luckily, in Pant we have all three, and we recently popped into Morrisons Daily in Pant to chat to Freya, the supervisor there, about the village shop and what it means to be a community-based retailer.
Freya is local to the area and has been at the shop for the past three years. “It’s the customers that make it,” she said. “We have a lot of regular customers here so we can get to know their names and which newspapers they take, so we have them ready for collection.
Freya is local to the area and has been at the shop for the past three years. “It’s the customers that make it,” she said. “We have a lot of regular customers here so we can get to know their names and which newspapers they take, so we have them ready for collection.
“I love the area,” says Freya, and she adds that she certainly enjoys the community feel to the area and that she would like to stay local longer term.
“Supporting the shop – and so keeping it at the heart of the community – is about more than popping in for the odd bit of shopping,” says Freya. “Villagers can of course come in to get their essential items, but I’d encourage them to support our Post Office and banking services too. People can draw out cash from us and return parcels and carry out most everyday banking – all without going into town.”
Occasionally, this advantage really comes into play when the local roads are cut off by snow or traffic.
As a relatively small convenience store, the number of product lines might not be able to match what’s in a superstore, but the range is fairly wide, and many customers say that they didn’t know just how much is stocked at the shop.
Recently, the range of gluten-free items was increased significantly following customer feedback. “I’d encourage people to come and have a look at what we have got, you might be surprised,” explains Freya.
The Morrisons More Card is one of the ways Freya says villagers would benefit from using the shop more. “It’s a brilliant – and free – way to save points that can then be used to get a voucher for money off in store,” she says. “And each week there are a number of products available with lower prices for people using a More Card.”
Being on the main road in Pant means the shop attracts a lot of people passing through the village, but it is also a resource for people holding events at the nearby Pant Memorial Hall.
“By supporting your local shop, pub or village hall,” says Freya “you are helping to keep local people employed and to create a sense of community. It’s a win win.”