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Isle of Wight SPAR stores operator, Hunnyhill Stores Group, has been fundraising again for a local good cause on the island. Last year, the company raised more than £4,500 for the Donkey Sanctuary in Wroxall as a result of its role as major sponsor of a music festival on the Isle of Wight. Now, the company has begun a fundraising programme for the Ventnor Paddling Pool Fund after funding was withdrawn by the Isle of Wight Council, responsibility for which has now been taken over by the town council. The programme started with a Pancake Day event at its Victoria Street, Ventnor store, involving a race and pancake tossing with the chance for customers to win SPAR vouchers. All profits will go towards the paddling pool fund. The Ventnor store is one of 13 operated by the company throughout the island. Hunnyhill opened its first store on the Isle of Wight in 2000 and has been instrumental in providing a major boost to the SPAR brand there ever since. It has other stores in East Cowes, Lake, Newport, Ryde, Sandown, Wootton, and Wroxall and employs more than 120 people throughout the island. In this corner: Two Managers From Appleby Westward Group Limited Present To Students At Plymouth City College Refurbished From Top To Bottom. A New SPAR Store Opens In Yetminster Store Re Opens in Boscastle

A New SPAR Store Opens In Yetminster.Local couple Tony and Karen Read have taken over the village shop in Yetminster, Dorset which has been closed for the last year, re-opening it as a SPAR store and Post Office. The couple, who live in nearby Thornford, have refurbished the premises from top to bottom to provide a modern convenience store with Post Office services to serve the needs of the local community. Tony worked as Head Of Sales for Appleby Westward, for the last three years. He has worked in the food retail business for the last 40 years, having also been involved in store management for Tesco, the Co-op and Somerfield. He said: "We have lived in our Thornford home for the last 24 years and therefore know the area very well. When the opportunity came along to acquire the village shop in Yetminster, we decided to snap it up as it offers such a lot of potential. We aim to make it a classic local village store that is very much at the heart of this lovely rural community." Did you know? Appleby Westward is the SPAR (SPAR website) Retail Distribution Centre (RDC) in the West Country. They have a long-established local distribution service currently meeting the needs of a large number of great stores from Bournemouth, Southampton and Portsmouth in the East, Helston, Falmouth and Truro in the West and Bristol and Bath in the North.

A former newsagents shop in Boscastle, North Cornwall has been re-opened as a SPAR store following a joint investment project involving the owners and Appleby Westward. Iain Lewis and Becky Harrison worked alongside Appleby Westward to convert the newsagency into a modern convenience store which now offers local customers the full SPAR range as well as news and magazines. The store was completely refitted with a new ceiling, floor, counter, new fixtures and freezers and a SPARpos system. In addition, new chillers have been installed offering customers a wide range of fresh foods and soft drinks. The new Boscastle store also has a wide choice of beers, wines and spirits as well as a food-to-go offer, and services include home delivery, National Lottery and a free-to-use ATM. Regional Sales Manager Graham Allen said: "The conversion has proved very popular with customers, with a very positive overall feedback and many expressing surprise at how big the range is within the store. The development will make the business more viable and serve the community all year round." Did you know? Appleby Westward is the SPAR (SPAR website) Retail Distribution Centre (RDC) in the West Country. They have a long-established local distribution service currently meeting the needs of a large number of great stores from Bournemouth, Southampton and Portsmouth in the East, Helston, Falmouth and Truro in the West and Bristol and Bath in the North.

Geoffrey Cox, MP for Torridge and West Devon, cut the ribbon to officially open a newly redeveloped SPAR store and Post Office in Tavistock. The store, in Abbey Place, has been the subject of a redevelopment in order to accommodate an expanded Post Office service within the retail area. The Post Office has introduced a Combi Counter, installed alongside the SPAR tills, enabling staff to serve both retail and Post Office transactions. Extended opening hours from 7.00am-10.00pm, plus the ability to use the service on a Saturday afternoon and Sunday, mean customers will be able to enjoy extended Post Office services. Customers can buy stamps and other everyday postal items if the Post Office is closed. For more info go visit: Appleby Westward Group Limited

A convenience store in a small Devon town on the edge of Dartmoor, which had fallen into disrepair, has been given a complete makeover and re-opened as a modern SPAR store serving the local community. The former Solo Stores in Fore Street, Chudleigh has been acquired by SPAR store operator Gillett's (Callington) Limited and been the subject of a major refurbishment for several weeks. "We bought the store from a receiver," said Managing Director Mark Gillett. "It was formerly a Wilkies store but the premises had fallen into a state of disrepair over a number of years and we have totally refurbished it, starting with the very basics through to a comprehensive refit." The store was refurbished in a joint investment scheme with Appleby Westward, creating a new shop front, increasing the off licence range by 200%, introducing food-to-go and increasing the area for chilled products threefold. The chilled section is distinguished by all cabinets having retro fit energy-saving doors installed, creating a distinctive eye-catching effect along one whole aisle. "The store was fully merchandised, using the plans available from Appleby Westward," said Mark. "As we were starting with a complete new range, it did make life a lot easier and helped ensure we had the correct range for the shelving configurations within each section. "We are very positive about the store, and it has been exceedingly well received by the locals," he added. Gillett's purchased its first store in 1984 and has steadily grown with regular strategic acquisitions of businesses in rural locations. The company now operates 61 SPAR stores throughout the south west.