New store selling locally sourced produce opens in Cleobury Motimer

Local residents of Cleobury Mortimer attended the festive launch to welcome the new Simply Fresh store into the small, rural village. Simply Fresh staff dressed in Santa hats, replaced the ribbon for the ribbon cutting with tinsel and provided plenty of little festive treats at their launch. Shropshire Council Leader, Keith Barrow, performed the ribbon cutting, or rather the ‘tinsel cutting’, and gave a good luck speech to new retailer, William Henry, wishing him many successful years of trading and congratulating him on his store.

There was a generous offering of free food and drinks samples at the launch, including wine, breads and pastries freshly baked in-store, as well as locally sourced, fresh fruit and vegetables. True to William’s and Simply Fresh’s community values, William has selected a local Shropshire charity, the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS), to endorse at the launch and which he will continue to support. An on-going charity raffle was held in honour of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society; one lucky winner will soon receive a Simply Fresh hamper packed with fresh, local produce and proceeds from the raffle will be donated to the charity. A representative was also present at the launch to raise awareness and invite local residents to up and coming events at the BHPS.

Simply Fresh in Cleobury Mortimer, also organised a Healthy Eating Initiative with a local school, Cleobury Mortimer Primary School, whereby parents could redeem a free piece of fresh fruit for their children when a form was filled in and brought back on the day of the launch and throughout the following week.

Also present at the launch with new store retailer, William Henry, were brothers, and directors of the Simply Fresh brand, Sukjit and Kash Khera. William Henry had been trading at his store, previously named ‘Talbot Stores’, in Cleobury Mortimer for over five years, before he decided to join the Simply Fresh symbol group. William made this decision because Simply Fresh matched his own vision for a convenience store that went that little bit further.

William Henry Comments: “It just seemed like the next step in furthering the business and the right thing to do. I always envisioned that my store would be more than just a convenience store; I want it to be a place where the whole community gets involved and where everything is interdependent and has longevity; where I depend on local suppliers for good quality, fresh produce, as much as the community depends on me to provide it. I want grocery shopping to be less of a chore and more of an enjoyable experience and I hope that’s something that came across strongly at the launch.”