Family-owned Lancashire Nisa store turns 50

The family-owned Nisa Local store in Great Eccleston has celebrated its 50^th anniversary with an in-store celebration to mark the occasion.

The Holden family have owned a convenience and bakery business in Lancashire for over five generations with William Holden, baker and founder of W.Holden & Son, beginning the operation in 1921. William ‘Bill’ and Mary Holden then took over the family business, expanding into mobile shops to deliver groceries around the village.

In 1973, the Holdens opened the Chesham Street store with Derek and Christine taking on the business in 1989. The pair still operate the business now with help from their daughters Sarah and Jayne and granddaughter, Emma.

Sarah Rhodes, manager of Nisa Local Chesham Street in Great Eccleston, said: “It is a big achievement; we are celebrating 50 years in this location, but our family has been in the industry for 100 years.

“On the day we had a lot of events planned, including complimentary prosecco and cakes on offer for customers. We also had a gold hamper available to win through a raffle and promoted donations towards a selected charity on social media.”

This will be the first big celebration of the store’s achievements; with the site recently undergoing a refurb in October 2022, this has led to a significant uplift in sales and basket size.

Sarah stated it was important to the family to promote the achievement, especially after the recent renovations which helped to modernise the store.

“Since the refit we have felt a new atmosphere to the store, everything on the site was updated and I have even more enthusiasm for the job. We are extremely proud of the store and want to promote it.”

The 50^th anniversary event was promoted on social media and there was a strong turnout from the local community and loyal customers on the day.

The store now offers increased lines and product ranges, including a new offering of chilled wine, a Tango Ice Blast machine, Costa Coffee, and a bakery, all have seen a steady increase in sales since October. 

Tony Pickford, Retail Development Manager at Nisa, said: “It is wonderful to see retailers working in the industry for so many years. It is important that milestones, such a 50^th anniversary, are celebrated and it is a fantastic opportunity to promote a store’s offering. Convenience stores have an important role in the communities they serve and events like this help to bring the community together.

“Our team at Nisa are proud of all our retailers and hope more will celebrate similar achievements like Sarah and her family.”