Telford retailer receives association of Convenience Stores Award

A Telford retailer has been named as the first winner of the Raj Aggarwal Award by the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS).

Julie Kaur, who runs Jules Convenience on Haybridge Road in Hadley, received the award which celebrates exceptional community retailing. It was created in memory of independent retailer Raj Aggarwal, who died from Covid-19 in the early stages of the pandemic last year.

Julie runs the store with her husband Joey and was also named as one of the Independent Retail News Unsung Heroes earlier this year.

She has played a vital role in her local area, providing home deliveries to customers, leading local fundraising efforts and supporting other retailers.

The Raj Aggarwal Award was judged by a panel that included Jonathan James of James Retail and Avtar Sidhu of St John’s Budgens in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, as well as Aggarwal’s wife and owner of Spar Wigston, Sunita Aggarwal.

Retail Minister Paul Scully, who presented the trophy, said: “These awards are a great opportunity to highlight how local retailers have been working tirelessly to support their communities, especially during the pandemic. Julie has been lighting up Hadley and beyond with her charity work, home deliveries and more. I’d like to congratulate her on such a well-deserved win of the first-ever Raj Aggarwal Award, and I thank all this year’s finalists, and retailers across the country, for their vitally important work.”

James Lowman, ACS chief executive, added: “Throughout the pandemic, Julie has gone above and beyond to support her customers and fellow retailers, Julie has made the local community feel like her family and friends. This is a well-deserved award and we would like to congratulate Julie for the outstanding contribution that her store has made to the local community.”