At 19, while still in full-time education, Samreeta Kaur took on a challenge that would test any experienced retailer: opening a convenience store of her own.
The result is One Stop Talgarth, an 1,800 sq ft store opened on 5 December 2025 in the heart of the Welsh town’s high street. Kaur saw an opportunity where others had left a gap.
The Co-op had closed its store two years earlier, leaving the town centre without a convenience offer, and she stepped in to restore that service for both the local community and visitors to the Brecon Beacons.
From the outset, the proposition has been broader than simply replacing what was lost. The store caters for the local community as well as tourists, with a food-to-go offer including Rollover, Bake & Bite, Fanta Frozen and Costa Express. It also has a distinctive point of difference in its beer offer: the store is described in the nomination as the only one with a beer cave within a 50-mile radius.
Kaur’s route into retail is equally distinctive. She grew up around convenience retail, with both her grandparents and parents running stores. But rather than simply following the family path, she has taken the considerable step of establishing a business herself while continuing her education.
The early months were far from straightforward. Kaur faced struggling sales, staffing challenges and an incorrect range. Rather than allowing those problems to define the store, she responded by changing the offer. Free-from ranges were introduced, alongside local produce and bakery, with a particular emphasis on Welsh products for both residents and tourists.
That willingness to adjust appears to have paid off. After 10 months of trading, store sales had more than doubled, giving Kaur a compelling early result for a retailer still at the beginning of her career.
There is a wider lesson in the journey. Kaur has inherited an understanding of convenience retail from her family, but her experience is being shaped by running a business in her own right. The combination has given her exposure to the practical realities of retail – from getting the range right and managing people to responding to changing customer demand.
The store is recorded as a c-store with a liquor licence and one site, trading from a high-street location. It operates under the One Stop fascia, with One Stop listed as its wholesaler.
For Kaur, the Next Gen story is not simply about being young. It is about having the confidence to take responsibility early, learning quickly when things do not work, and being prepared to reshape the business rather than wait for circumstances to change.
At 19, she has already taken a vacant space, restored a convenience offer to a town centre and more than doubled sales in her first 10 months. The next chapter is only beginning.