At 90 years old, Margaret still refuses to retire. Every afternoon, she drives to the Welcome Co-op Bromham store in Bedfordshire, dons her uniform, and takes over the shop floor from the duty manager for the evening shift. Her daughter works there too. Once, even her granddaughters were on the payroll – three generations of the same family choosing to work for Kash Jaffar's retail empire.
"'I don't want to retire, I just want to come here,'" Margaret tells Kash regularly. It's a sentiment that speaks volumes about the culture this softly spoken entrepreneur has cultivated across his eight Welcome Co-op stores. In the Bromham store alone, all 19 staff members live within walking distance of the shop, embodying the community-first philosophy that has driven Kash's success for over three decades.
This commitment to local relationships helped earn Kash the Convenience Chain of the Year Award at the 2024 Asian Trader Awards – recognition that feels particularly poignant given the personal challenges he's overcome in recent years.
From MBA to the corner shop
Kash's journey into retail began not by design but by necessity. It was 1990-91, and Britain was gripping through a recession. Fresh out of his Executive MBA studies, opportunities were scarce. "My first job was in retail and that's how I got into the retail business," he recalls. What started as a trainee manager role would evolve into something far more ambitious.
Kash Jaffar's store in Bromham
By 1994, Kash had opened his first store in Milton Keynes. The town itself was still developing, its local centres and neighbourhoods expanding around him. "Milton Keynes actually had quite a low population, as it was developing at the time. I'm talking about late 1990s, from 2000s onward, and that was the start of our growth," he explains. The timing was fortuitous – as communities grew, so did the demand for convenient local shopping.
The expansion was methodical. First, a second store in Milton Keynes, managed by his brother. Then gradual growth across the region, reaching 7 stores by 2003. Some operated independently, others under Londis and Premier fascias, before Kash made the strategic decision to unite them all under Budgens.
The art of letting go
At the peak of his retail portfolio, Kash operated 20 stores. Then came 2014 and an offer from the Co-op Group that would reshape his business philosophy entirely. "Co-op wanted to acquire my stores," as he recalled the decision to sell eight stores. The financial incentive was clear, but the move represented something deeper – a recognition that bigger isn't always better.
The sale freed Kash to diversify in ways that would have been difficult while managing 20 retail outlets. Pizza Hut franchises followed, then Costa Coffee and Regus serviced offices. Commercial and residential properties joined the portfolio. "I grew my business in other franchise sectors. I think it was a reason, just to diversify as well," he reflects.
Bromham Welcome store
Yet retail remained his first love. The eight remaining stores became laboratories for innovation and community building, proving that focused attention could yield better results than scattered expansion.
The pyramid of success
How does one man effectively oversee diverse operations spanning retail, hospitality, and property? Kash's answer lies in what he calls a "cognitive pyramid" – a carefully structured hierarchy that empowers rather than constrains.
"I sit with my top team, the leadership team that has a head of operations and I have an in-house chartered accountant, in-house lawyer, and then area managers," he explains. The model scales elegantly: four to five stores per area manager, individual store managers beneath them, and assistant managers and deputies for high-turnover locations.
Kash Jaffar in front of his Kents Hill store
The key is internal development. "9 out of 10 times we develop our teams within the group," Kash says proudly. “When I see the potential in one person, they start as an assistant manager for their location.”
The manager who joined his operation in 2005 is now his area manager, Steve continues working with him after 20 years. This isn't just good HR practice – it's the foundation of customer trust.
Technology meets tradition
In 2022, Kash made another pivotal decision, switching all his stores from Budgens to Welcome Co-op, the franchise operated by Southern Co-op. The change wasn't just about branding – it was about finding the right partner for his community-focused vision. His flagship Bromham store, at 7,000 square feet of sales space, needed a symbol group that could support its scale while maintaining local relevance.
The investment was substantial. Complete refurbishments across all eight stores, incorporating energy-efficient refrigeration systems with heat recovery technology. "In the winter, it recirculated heat from the fridges back into the store to warm up the store," Kash explains. Solar panels and electric vehicle chargers following, to transform his stores into showcases of sustainability.
Bromham Welcome store
The return on investment has been dramatic. "We have seen a huge reduction in our electricity bills, now it is less than a half of what we were paying before the refits," he reports. With England's brief summers and long heating season, the technology has saved tens of thousands of pounds annually.
The sales have gone up as well. “Co-op is a community brand, and it has worked well,” he adds.
The cost-of-living reality
Recent years have brought new challenges. The cost-of-living crisis has shifted customer behaviour, making value perception more critical than ever. "Obviously, we are a convenience store, and prices will be a little bit higher than the supermarket, but because this is a Co-op, there's lots of offers and a good range," Kash notes. “That has shifted lots of customers to see the value.”
His response has been characteristically community-focused. Social media campaigns comparing prices with nearby supermarkets, highlighting instances where his stores actually undercut the competition. "We would say, this is our price, and this is, for example, the nearest supermarket price for the same item, and in many cases we are cheaper," he explains.
Bromham Welcome store
The Bromham store's home delivery service, running for over 20 years, has become more relevant than ever. One part-time employee takes phone orders from regular customers – mostly pensioners and retired residents who've become part of the store's extended family.
"I think 99 per cent of them are regulars. They do their weekly order," Kash says, adding: “We are now going to improve it further, and we are working on doing more deliveries as well.”
A family business
The Jaffar business empire is increasingly a family affair. Brother Saqib handles operations, while Kash's daughters have each found their niche: Iman supports the service and property side after completing her master's degree, Fazeen applies her law degree to the Costa business, and niece Ibadat assists with accounts. Nephew Mohsin, a chartered accountant, leads the team as head of accounts across all operations.
This family integration has become even more crucial following a life-changing event that occurred one year ago. While travelling in Medina, Saudi Arabia, Kash contracted meningitis. The infection led to a 10-day coma and permanent hearing loss.
Kents Hill Welcome store
"When I woke up, I saw my family was there and then every day they really, really supported me," he recalls. The recovery took six months, but the experience revealed hidden strengths within his organisation. "Family are a lot more involved in the business now, they have taken on more responsibility, which has been really helpful."
Hearing loss might have derailed a lesser entrepreneur, but technology has provided solutions for Kash. A cochlear implant is gradually improving his hearing, though he acknowledges it "will never be the same." The experience has reinforced his belief in adaptation and resilience.
"I figured, sometimes things happen for a reason," he reflects philosophically. The health challenge has accelerated his succession planning and deepened his family's involvement in the business – outcomes that might have taken years to achieve otherwise.
Community champions
The Bromham Show exemplifies Kash's community integration philosophy. The annual village event, held on 13th July 2025, receives full sponsorship from his store. Local football teams, community events, and village activities all benefit from his support.
This isn't marketing – it's authentic community membership. Kash works with local councils and community groups in all his store locations, building relationships that extend far beyond transactions. When customers know the store owner by name and see him at community meetings, loyalty deepens beyond mere convenience.
Bromham Welcome store
The pipeline holds promise for further expansion. "We are always expanding, acquiring stores, opening new stores," Kash confirms. With his daughters now established in the business and his operational systems refined, growth can resume with renewed confidence.
His advice to aspiring independent retailers reflects hard-won wisdom: "Have a good network, have a strong network, build your network. What I have come across throughout my life, is if you are hardworking and honest, there are a lot of opportunities there to grab."
The Margaret principle
Perhaps the true measure of Kash's success isn't found in profit margins or store counts, but in Margaret's daily walk to work. At 90, she chooses to spend her afternoons serving customers not because she needs the money, but because the store has become her community hub and the customers love her.
This is the Kash Jaffar model: retail as relationship, commerce as community service. In an age of self-service checkouts and impersonal transactions, his stores offer something increasingly rare – genuine human connection wrapped in commercial efficiency.
Bromham Welcome store
As he continues expanding his empire, now with the next generation taking on greater responsibility, Kash remains focused on the fundamentals that brought him success. Technology may have transformed retail over his three decades in business, but the desire for authentic community connection remains constant.
The Convenience Chain of the Year Award recognises not just commercial success, but the deeper achievement of building businesses that genuinely serve their communities. In Kash's case, that service extends across three generations of employees, dozens of local suppliers, and thousands of customers who view his stores not as mere shopping destinations, but as integral parts of their daily lives.
Margaret's refusal to retire says everything about the culture Kash has created. When work feels like community participation, retirement becomes irrelevant. That's the real secret of his success – transforming commercial transactions into lasting relationships that span generations.