For Kaual Patel, owner of Torridon Convenience Store in Catford, south London, being painted by an artist who has depicted Princess Anne is an honour that has yet to sink in.
Even as he prepared for the public unveiling of his portrait on October 27, Patel was carrying on with business as usual, serving customers and managing his store. The significance of the moment, he admitted, was still difficult to comprehend.
“It’s so surreal for me at the moment. As we speak, I am taking care of my business as usual. The honour has really not sunk in yet, to be honest,” he told Asian Trader.
“This is not normal. This does not happen to normal people like me, to a shopkeeper like me. To have that recognised in such a special way is something I'll always remember, and I'm looking forward to having the portrait back in the shop for everyone to see.”
Patel is one of just four small business owners from across the UK selected for Local Royalty, an exhibition celebrating independent businesses through portraits by artists known for their royal subjects.
Local Royalty is the latest instalment of Coca-Cola GB’s campaign which celebrates its local roots and the people and families that make and serve its drinks every day.
Artist Nick Bashall, who has painted Princess Anne, created Patel’s portrait live inside his convenience store in South London, with customers watching the artwork take shape around them.
Having taken over Torridon Convenience Store from his father and uncle, Patel has spent the past two decades building its place in the local community and championing local producers.
He is also the winner of Off Licence of the Year at the Asian Trader Awards 2025 and has been shortlisted again in another category at the 2026 ceremony, underlining his standing in the UK’s independent retail sector.
Yet while Patel struggled to understand why he had been chosen for Local Royalty, he had no doubts about the message behind the initiative: independent businesses deserved greater recognition for the role they played in their communities.
“This is what I completely acknowledge and understand. Independent businesses are the backbone of communities. They are vital and yet they struggle every day and hardly get any recognition,” he said.
Of the four businesses selected, Patel’s was the only convenience store, leaving him wondering what had set him apart from thousands of other independent retailers.
“What I cannot wrap my head around yet is why me? They have picked only four businesses across the UK, among which only one is a convenience store,” he said. “I feel I am only doing business and my bit for the community and have not done anything out of this world for an honour as huge as this.”
The portraits come as new research from Coca-Cola Great Britain reveals that almost nine in ten (87%) Brits consider independent businesses an essential part of life in Great Britain, while 79% believe their local community would be worse off without them. The findings highlight just how important these businesses are to everyday life, with almost half (49%) of consumers saying they would struggle to live without their local corner shop.
More than a third say the same about cafés (37%) and takeaways (35%), while 31% say they would struggle without their local pub. Despite this, 79% believe the contribution independent business owners make to their communities is underappreciated, while 80% would like to see them celebrated more often.
Alongside Bashall’s portrait of Patel, the exhibition features a pub owner, a café owner and a takeaway owner, painted by artists Nicky Philipps, Gareth Reid and Jamie Coreth. Their previous subjects include members of the Royal Family, including Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III and the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Each business owner will also receive a donation for a local charity of their choice and the finished portrait, which they can display in their home or business and pass down through their family for generations.
The portrait’s official unveiling was scheduled for 5.30pm on October 27, following a day of back-to-back appointments with national media for Patel.
“Today is going to be a busy day for me. I have back-to-back appointments with national media and will be going for the unveiling in the evening at 5.30pm,” he said. "Maybe it will sink in by then.”
Patel's portrait, alongside those of three other independent business owners, will be displayed at London's Saatchi Gallery from 28th October to 1st November, before being gifted to him.