Popular Whitchurch shop changes hands as owners retire after 30 years

The Old Paper Shop, a longstanding newsagent in Whitchurch, Hampshire, has been sold as the owners look to retire after three decades at the tills.

Jitty and Bansi Hunjan, the couple who have run the shop for the last 30 years, said they are sad to leave but added that the time was right.

“We have been open from 5.30am–5.30pm six days a week and until 12 noon on Sundays. We have been lucky enough to have been supported by wonderful staff over the years which has enabled us to take afternoons off and take holidays,” Bansi told Basingstoke Gazette.

“We are particularly grateful to the long-serving Phillis Moyes and Dawn Randel, as well as Sue Lyall, Anne Hale and the late Gwen Driver and Patrick Thornton. Special thanks go to our most recent assistant, Hazel Rose. We thank them all for their hard work and dedication.”

Bansi and her husband of 47 years, Jitty, first ran a paper shop in north London for seven years before relocating to Hampshire, taking over The Old Paper Shop from Jitty’s brother and sister-in-law, who had run it for five years.

With their children, a son and a daughter who live in London and Dubai respectively, not keen to take forward the family business, the couple decided to bring the store to the market through the specialist business property adviser Christie & Co.

The shop has been acquired by Thirukkumaran Sellathathurai, who brings with him a wealth of experience trading convenience stores and is looking forward to being part of and supporting the local community.

Ideally located on the high street of Hampshire’s smallest town, The Old Paper Shop benefits from the commuter trade in the highly affluent area. The shop is currently undergoing a refit and will soon be rebranded as a Premier store, offering a full range of convenience products and services.