In the bustling borough of West London, there exists a small but mighty store, quietly carving out a monumental presence in the convenience retail landscape.
Over a span of 36 years, Londis Harefield has emerged as a corner stone for both community as well as convenience. From Payzone and parcel collection to home delivery and hot food, this convenience store not only offers a surprisingly wide range of services and products but is also a benchmark of convenience retail.
For leading retailer and store owner Atul Sodha, the journey began almost four decades ago when his mother acquired a sleepy newsagent in a semi-rural area of West London.
Reflecting on his store’s evolution with Asian Trader, the retailer shared, “My mother took over the store in 1989 from her sister using her saving of 16 years. I was about 17 at the time, and my brother was 20.”
In a mere six months after moving to the UK, Sodha’s father had passed away, leaving his mother, only 23 at the time, to raise two small children on her own. The challenges were obviously immense.
“Before moving here, we were living in council estate in Wembley; it was a bit rough there.
"It was my mother’s side of the family who helped us during that time. They had an old-fashioned off license in Wembley, which eventually turned out to be my first foray into retail.
“The brief stint at the off license at the tender age of 13 also taught me a lifelong skill of talking and engaging with various types of customers.”
When Sodha’s mother acquired the 650-square-foot store in Uxbridge, it was a typical confectionery-tobacconist-newsagent. Within a year, the family carried out a refit to improve its layout and appeal.
Around this time, Sodha joined an insurance company and moved out. While his time at the insurance company gave him insight into finances and cash flow, his physical health issues soon brought him back to the store full-time.
Sodha told Asian Trader, “I was suddenly losing loads of weight and was really struggling physically. I was soon diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, the same illness that had claimed my father’s life.
“While I was recovering, my eyes opened up to how much struggle my mother had to face yet how much she is always on top of everything. I was amazed at her strength and positivity.”
As Sodha regained his health, his perspective towards retail shifted.
He said, “I started getting more involved in the shop to make it a success. We evolved the news agent into a proper convenience store. I started reading trade articles about what people want and began adding bits and pieces.
“Soon, we had more customers coming in and entrusting us. That, coupled with my understanding of how to talk to customers, really improved our business.”
The store soon underwent another refit, something that “really put it on the map” and boosted the turnover and footfall.
Londis Harefield
Armed with more knowledge about changing habits, Sodha got rid of non-performing lines like greeting cards, and added more ambient groceries. The store also started stocking more household and essential products.
However, it was Joining Londis in the late 1990s that proved to be the major game-changer.
“Londis allowed me to still be independent but appear more professional,” Atul explained. “We adopted their state-of-the-art ‘Genesis’ format, and the shop looked much better. Turnover improved massively.”
Over the years, Sodha has learned to adopted category management principles, focusing on the 80-20 rule to stock the best-selling lines in limited space. An upgraded EPOS system now provides real-time insights into margins and customer preferences.
“With size constraints, one should be more focused about the approach. When you don't feel like you can justify a massive investment, even then you can do lots of things around the store and keep looking at your range,” he said.
Culinary Charm
While Londis Harefield is known for its wide range and exceptional service, what makes it truly stand apart not only from its competitors but also from its nearest supermarket is its hot and fresh food line called “Curry in a Hurry”.
Sodha revealed, "We started with ice cream and went to what goes with ice cream. So we started baking family size apple pies and cutting them into small sizes.
“We started keeping a lot of bakery products like freshly made croissants. My mother soon started making samosas a few years ago which turned out to be a huge hit.
“Our store’s hot dog was already very popular in our store; we started adding more and more stuff. We now even serve hot and fresh curries.
“During Covid, we went out and sourced whatever we could and since people were getting bored from staying at home, we started offering some enticing freshly-made line like chicken wings, chicken bites and chicken burgers.”
The concept originated from his family’s love of cooking and a desire to reduce food waste. Today, the store’s aromas—from freshly baked croissants to sizzling samosas and curry—welcome customers with a sensory treat, even managing to attract passersby, and leaving them with an urge to revisit the store.
One look at the store’s online reviews shows people lauding the store’s homemade curries, vegan sausage roll, chicken’ curry with rice and fresh donuts. Some even say that the food here even beats local takeaways.
Sodha said, “With convenience at the pinnacle as it is right now, one must stand out. We try to do that through our freshly made food-to-go offering."
The food offered is not only freshly-made but it is also healthy and low in fat.
He informed, “With my Crohn’s disease, I am mindful of what I eat and thus have adapted my recipes accordingly by using the right low-fat ingredients.
“As a result, we not only offer delicious, freshly-made food but are able to attract health-conscious customers as well. Our system was in place for a long time; it has only just grown from strength to strength.”
Hot food is a good margin opportunity as well, so it is turning out to be a win-win aspect for the store.
The store’s kitchen is accessible to customers and Sodha encourages people to taste what is on offer.
“We once took ‘Curry in a Hurry’ to the village fête and we were immediately sold out. We were a hit among children and parents were very happy to see that. Such events are not just about sales, it's about creating memorable connections in the community,” he says.
Industry Champion
Sodha being an advocate of British Food Fortnight, the store is deeply entwined with local suppliers.
Today, Londis Harefield is not only shoppers’ go-to solution, but it is also a brand-favourite destination. The place is almost always buzzing with some or the other brand activation, thanks to Sodha’s heavy involvement with suppliers.
“There's always something going on in the store that keeps a sense of excitement and curiosity among shoppers. It’s about building partnerships and bridging the gap between what brands think we need and what actually works for retailers and customers.
“We had the marketing manager from Heinz come into the store and work a day with us.
“I have been a KP snack ambassador for over 12 years now; I have worked massively with Cadbury's. Susan Nash gave me the honor to pick up an award for their on their behalf, which still makes me feel so much more appreciative of the relationship. I have been working with closely with Coca Cola, Budweiser and about a dozen other leading brands.”
Over the years, Sodha has been actively interacting with fellow retailers in the sector, learning, sharing ideas, and networking.
“I am part of Retailers Inner Cirkle where we are instrumental in getting the retailers together to do various initiatives like the latest Doritos’ Extra flaming hot campaign that saw a huge activation recently in stores across the country.
“I take great pride in my industry networking, which now spans across generations. I have strong relationships with seasoned veterans like Dee Sedani and Kiran Patel, as well as with the dynamic new brigade of talent, including Nishi Patel, Neil Godhania, Natalie Lightfoot, and Paul Cheema.
“There are so many more brilliant names out there who are shining light for convenience sector. For me, it's not about symbol loyalty; it's about retailer loyalty. We all help each other and rise together.
"We have got a massive network of retailers who talk to each other constantly, sharing ideas, trends and solutions, finding new ways forward. There are lots of lots of conversation going on out there, more so than there ever was. And that's what keeps me enthusiastic about our sector.”
While Sodha remains optimistic, financial and legislative challenges keep him cautious.
“I had to put everything on hold. While I have plans and I want to expand, I have held back until more financial security is there where we feel more confident.
“In terms of various legislative restrictions coming up, I am working very actively to keep ministers abreast with the problems that independent retailers go through every day. Like, I don't disagree with smoking being bad for people; I disagree with authorities forcing us to do stuff that are just not manageable.”
Despite these hurdles, Sodha continues to innovate.
“There are a hell of a lot of difficulties but we got to be thinking outside of the box as much as we possibly can. Like, I am pushing forward in online sales and through Snappy Shoppers. Online delivery expands the store’s reach to people that wouldn't normally come to your store.
“However, I also want people to visit my store so that people can see what we do here.”
Over the years, Londis Harefield has remained intertwined with the community. During Covid, the store proved to be a lifeline of Uxbridge, particularly to the elderly population.
"I have spent 36 years in convenience retail. For many years, I was doing ridiculous working hours because you're growing your business but now thankfully, we have got a lot of support.
Over the years, Londis Harefield has grown into more than just a store—it is now a vital part of the Uxbridge community.
“The local school often seeks us out for various events, and I am more than eager to get involved. We do a lot of charity work with various organisations.”
“We used to sponsor a football team of under-nines. These kids are now grown-up adults, but they all still remember me and their association with the store.”
Sodha’s commitment to his customers, community and convenience has created a store that thrives on innovation, adaptability, and personal touch.
“One of the things I learned from retail veteran and my mentor Raj Chandegra was that maintaining the quality, service and standard is the key to a successful business.
“I am also proud of my staff and their dedication and ethics. We are a small store, but we proudly punch above our weight in terms of per square footage on sales and profit,” he concludes.
Post office Horizon scandal campaigners have slammed the government for extending a post-Brexit contract worth £67 million with the controversial firm Fujitsu.
A recent report by The Independent stated that His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has granted a year-long extension to Fujitsu, which developed the faulty software leading to the wrongful prosecution of hundreds of subpostmasters for theft and false accounting, to run its Trader Support Service (TSS),
Fujitsu ruled itself out of bidding for government contracts in January last year due to its role in the Horizon Post Office scandal.
But the extension, worth £66.8m and detailed in documents seen by the media house, was approved because it is not a new contract.
Former sub post-mistress Seem Misra OBE has criticised the government over this move.
She stated on X, "We (SPMR) couldn't work due to wrongful convictions, yet Fujitsu—whose system destroyed lives—is expanding. What have they offered this time to stay quiet? Where's the justice?"
— (@)
Lord Arbuthnot, who campaigned for wrongly convicted sub postmasters, said it was “a worrying decision by the government on several levels”.
“First, it sends Fujitsu and other companies the message that the country doesn’t care about the unethical behaviour shown by Fujitsu in the Post Office scandal.
“Second, it weakens the government’s bargaining power in requiring Fujitsu to bear a substantial portion of the cost of that scandal.
“Third, it suggests that the government is uncomfortably dependent on Fujitsu. And fourth, it ignores the fact that Fujitsu’s capability on this contract may be no better than their Post Office capability," he told The Independent.
“Why didn’t they start work earlier on finding someone else?”
Meanwhile, HMRC said the extension was needed in order to “ensure a period of stabilisation” while new trading arrangements come into place under the Windsor Framework.
It has promised to run a procurement process in the coming months to replace Fujitsu in delivering the service.
Fujitsu in the past has won nearly £6.8bn in nearly 200 contracts from the public sector, including 11 for HMRC to the value of over £1bn, and 12 contracts with the Ministry of Defence for £582m.
The Labour government is getting rid of a "shoplifters’ charter" to take a grip on rising retail crime left behind by the Conservative party, prime minister Keir Starmer stated on Wednesday (5) in the Commons Chamber.
Starmer was answering a question raised by Labour MP Claire Hughes when he acknowledged that shoplifting is no more a "low level" crime.
Citing an example of seaside town Llandudno where businesses are struggling with a rise in shoplifting, Hughes raised the concern in the Commons Chamber, adding that thieves are now committing robbery in full view of staff because they have no fear of consequences.
She stated, "The recent funding boost for neighbourhood policing is very welcome, but will the Prime Minister please tell my constituents what more the Government are doing to tackle retail crime and deter repeat offenders?"
Starmer agreed, saying shoplifting is not a victimless crime.
He said, "For far too long, crimes such as shoplifting have been written off as 'low level'.
"That is wrong; such crimes are devastating. The Conservative party left us with rising crime and effectively told the police to ignore shoplifting of under £200-worth of goods.
"We have got rid of that shoplifters’ charter, and we are working hard to ensure that we take a grip where they lost control."
Nearly half a million shoplifting offences were recorded by police in England and Wales in a year, the highest 12-month total on record, according to the data released by Office for National Statistics (ONS) last week.
.A total of 492,914 offences were logged by forces in the year to September 2024, up 23 per cent from 402,220 in the previous 12 months. The figure is the highest since current records began in the year to March 2003.
Industry body the British Retail Consortium's (BRC) annual crime survey also shows similar trend.
BRC survey shows that theft and violence against retail workers in Britain soared to record levels last year and are "out of control", driven partly by criminal gangs.
The survey found more than 20 million incidents of theft were committed in the year to Aug 31 2024, which equates to 55,000 a day, costing retailers a total £2.2 billion. There were 16 million incidents in the previous year.
Incidents of violence and abuse in 2023/24 climbed to over 2,000 per day, up from 1,300 the year before. This is more than three times what it was in 2020, when there were just 455 incidents a day.
Incidents included racial or sexual abuse, physical assault or threats with weapons. There were 70 incidents per day which involved a weapon, more than double the previous year, shows BRC survey.
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FWD's new report highlights the crucial role wholesalers play in the supply chain.
Food and drink wholesale distribution sector generated £33.6 billion of turnover in 2023-24 with £17.5 billion coming from sales to mainly independent retailers, reveals an industry report released today (5).
The report was launched in the Houses of Parliament in the presence of Daniel Zeichner, Minster for Food Security and Rural Affairs.
Zeichner said, " “This report highlights just how important the wholesale sector is. These are really significant numbers. Economic growth is absolutely central to wholesale businesses, as is breaking down the barriers to opportunity.
"Our pledge to you is to work with you as we begin to develop our policies. Our stated goal is to try and help change the way the supply chain operates to make sure there is a fair distribution of resources through the supply chain, and I really look forward to working with the wholesale sector on this.”
Retail businesses account for 52 per cent of food and drink wholesalers' revenue, while foodservice and caterers account for 29 per cent and 10 per cent respectively.
Delivery remains the most common route to customers with 58 per cent of sales value fulfilled through deliveries. 40 per cent of sales value fulfilled through cash and carry and 1.3 per cent of sales are made through click and collect.
In total, wholesalers spent £27 billion on stock to be sold to retailers and foodservice providers. The largest product categories were tobacco, vaping and alcohol, followed by soft drinks, frozen food, confectionery, crisps, snacks and biscuits.
The report states that food and drink wholesale distributors directly contributed £3.5bn to national output in terms of gross value, employing 77,000 people. The overall value chain that it supports employs a total of 1.5 million people, about 4.8 per cent of the UK workforce.
The sector faces a series of challenges going ahead, highlighted the report through a recent survey of FWD's members. Some of the main concerns among the wholesalers are inflation, increase in transportation costs, labour and skill shortage and regulations.
Wholesale warehouse
iStock image
AI and automation hold significant potential to positively impact the sector like in identifying the wallet share gaps and predicting reorder needs . However, the report states that companies are yet not fully embracing these technologies, saying "no distributor has integrated AI into its operation to a great extent".
60 per cent of the respondents indicated they have incorporated AI into supply chain management.
FWD reiterates in the report to reach net zero Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 2040, which will require 90 per cent reduction in emissions and coordinated actions across value chains.
Furthermore, the sector is facing labour shortage stemming from ageing workforce, Brexit, images issues and competition.
"The sector's image poses a challenge in attracting new recruits as over 90 per cent of people never consider a career in logistics", states the report, mentioning terms like "demanding" and "boring" associated with warehouse work.
Speaking at the launch, FWD head of external affairs Lyndsey Cambridge said, “Wholesalers are the lifeblood of the nation – from supporting high street restaurants to supplying hospitals, schools and local retailers with food, the FWD membership is delivering for people across the length and breadth of the UK.
"This groundbreaking research provides a comprehensive economic impact of food and drink wholesale, demonstrating the value and importance of the sector in improving consumer choice through its support for retailers and caterers.
“Given its reach and contribution, our sector has and will play a pivotal role in driving economic growth in the coming years. We look forward to partnering with policymakers across the UK to grow our industry further while meeting the everyday challenges our members face in areas such as increased transport costs and labour shortages.”
Cost of living is still consumers’ number one concern, shows recent data, highlighting how shoppers are turning to scratch cooking to both save money and have a healthier diet.
According to new data released today byNielsenIQ (NIQ), total till sales grew at UK supermarkets (+5.3 per cent) in the last four weeks ending 27th January 2025, up from +3.6 per cent recorded in December.
With a better outlook on food inflation (+1.6 per cent) compared to last year (+6.4 per cent), there was good unit growth of +0.9 per cent at the Grocery Multiples. However, growth slowed after the new year.
January is typically a time of year for a healthy reset for consumers, and NIQ data shows 12 per cent of British households purchased meat-free substitutes in the last four weeks. Whilst this is a small drop from 14 per cent last year, shoppers have not cut back on healthy diets with double-digit growth in freshly prepared fruit (+16 per cent) and fresh veg accompaniments which grew by +9 per cent.
Meat, fish and poultry was the fastest growing super category (+9.1per cent) as shoppers sought to cook protein-rich meals as part of New Year diets. This was followed by pet care (+8.3 per cent) and dairy products (+6.8 per cent).
In addition, NIQ data shows that half of all UK households now say they cook from scratch every day or most days, with around 16 per cent doing so more due to the rising cost of living.
The impact of this shift in behaviour marks a spike in demand for easy hacks to speed up or elevate the dining experience, with a boost in sales for fresh gravy (+28 per cent), fresh dough and pastry (+18 per cent), fresh dips (+15 per cent) and fresh cream and custard (+14 per cent).
In terms of retailer performance, Ocado led with a sales growth of +15.6 per cent compared with the same period last year.
This was followed by Marks & Spencer (+9.7 per cent) helped by its bigger store formats motivating shoppers to add more items to their baskets as well as its dine-at-home deals. There was also continued growth at the discounters Lidl (+7.8 per cent) and Aldi (+3.8 per cent) with both retailers gaining new shoppers and more store visits.
Mike Watkins, Head of Retailer and Business Insight at NIQ said, “The lift to grocery sales in the last four weeks was helped by the timing of the New Year, with a proportion of sales coming from the new year festivities which was week ending 4th January (+10.0 per cent).
"However, after this, weekly growth in January was slightly lower. Whilst overall Total Till sales growth was higher than December, the underlying trend is closer to +3 per cent which is the average growth in the most recent three weeks.”
Watkins adds, “NIQ Homescan data shows that the cost of living is still firmly consumers’ number one concern at the start of 2025. Shoppers are looking to save money and eat healthier leading to a growing trend in scratch cooking, which is one of the key behaviours driving the strong unit growth (+2 per cent) and value growth (+6.8 per cent) in fresh food categories in the last four weeks.”
Take-home sales at the grocers rose by 4.3 per cent over the four weeks to 26 January compared with one year ago, according to the latest data from Kantar, which also shows a consistent rise on spending on promotions and fresh produce. Share of symbols and independents however continued on a decline.
January spelled relief for shoppers as grocery price inflation slowed to 3.3 per cent over the four weeks.
With household budgets typically stretched at this time of year, retailers played their part in easing the pressure on purse strings.
Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, comments, “Supermarkets were dishing out the discounts this New Year, and consumers responded. Spending on promotions rose year-on-year by £274 million, accounting for 27.2 per cent of sales – the highest level in January since 2021.
“People also turned to non-branded products to help keep costs down, with own label as a proportion of sales hitting a record high of 52.3% in January. Spending on supermarkets’ own lines was up 5.4%, helped by consumers buying premium own label products in the couple of days leading up to New Year’s Eve."
Typically, shoppers have an eye on wellness, not just their wallets, at the start of the year – and 2025 was no exception. More than 10 per cent of the average consumer’s January grocery bill was spent on fresh fruit, vegetables and salad, totalling £1.2 billion – £193 million more than in December.
Nathan Ward, business unit director for usage and out-of-home at Kantar, adds, “Rolling into the new year, health tends to play a bigger role in our grocery choices. Over a quarter of take-home food and drink in January is chosen with health at least partially in mind, as shoppers tell us they want to eat less processed food and feel the benefit of fibre and vitamins.”
Protein products pulled their weight at the tills too as demand for bars, bites and drinks boosted spend on sports nutrition products. Sales for this category at supermarkets were 47% higher than last year, with over two million households buying these items during the month.
Sales of low and no alcohol drinks were 7 per cent higher than last January, and 6.7 per cent of households bought at least one of these alternatives.
Fraser McKevitt comments: “It’s no surprise to see the low and no alcohol trend make its mark in January, but given some of the generational splits we have seen in grocery, it’s interesting that older shoppers are just as likely to take these products home as younger ones. Not everyone signed up for dry January though, with 49% of people buying an alcoholic drink this month – but this is a pretty big drop from December’s 76%.”
Lidl’s sales rose 7.4% over the 12 weeks to 26 January, making it three continual years of growth for the discounter, whose share hit 7.2%. Aldi accelerated for the third consecutive month with sales up 4.2% and its market share increasing to 10.2%.
Ocado was the fastest-growing grocer for the ninth consecutive month. Spending at the online retailer grew by 11.3% meaning it now holds 1.9% of the market. Joint owner of Ocado Retail, M&S has also seen a strong 12 week period of growth with grocery sales increasing by 10.5%* in its brick-and-mortar stores.
Britain’s largest grocer Tesco gained the most share, its 28.5 per cent hold of the market is 0.7 per cent higher than this time last year, and it also saw its fastest rise in sales since April 2024 at 5.6 per cent. Sainsbury’s outpaced the market at 4.2 per cent sales growth, increasing its share from 15.7 to 15.9 per cent. Morrisons has 8.6% of the market while Asda’s portion is 12.6 per cent.
Convenience retailer Co-op returned to growth, with sales rising by 0.8 per cent giving it a 5.2 per cent share of the market while symbols and independents again saw dip of 5.8 per cent.