Two retailers who also operate post offices – Jenny Fell of Daventry Post Office and Pritesh Pattni of Bristol Street Post Office in Birmingham – have been awarded British Empire Medals (BEM) in the King’s New Year Honours List 2026 for outstanding service to their communities.
Sainsbury’s chief executive Simon Roberts also features prominently in the List, receiving a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to the retail industry.
Local heroes
At 82, Jenny Fell has served Hellidon and the surrounding villages for over half a century. The long-serving postmistress has been lauded for her decades of voluntary work, commitment to local history, and active role in village life. Her BEM recognises not just the running of the post office but her deep engagement in community halls, church activities, Meals on Wheels and much more.
“I was in shock when I received the news of my New Year’s Honour’s recognition,” Fell said.
“My husband scooped up the mail and said there was a letter for me. He urged me to open it as it looked important, but a friend from Australia had literally just arrived to stay with us. It was an official looking envelope and my first thought was what have I done wrong! So, I just asked my husband to open it in case it was a fine. He read the first line of the letter, then said I really think that you should read this. I was most surprised to read it, but I had to keep the news secret, even from my visiting friend, until the official announcement.”
Jenny Fell Photo: Handout
Tony Sanghera, Post Office regional manager, said: “This is very well-earned recognition to someone who has devoted herself to the village of Hellidon and who has made such a difference to this community.”
In Birmingham, Pritesh Pattni – a refugee from Uganda whose Bristol Street store includes a vital local Post Office – has also been awarded a BEM. Alongside retail duties, Pattni chairs the Bidgley Power Foundation, a charity providing youth activities, summer food provision for children who rely on free school meals, adult learning and environmental programmes.
Responding to the honour, Pattni said: “When we had been in Uganda I had been part of a wealthy family as my grandparents had a jewellery business. My parents didn’t need to work, and we had domestic help. It was a big change when we came to Britain living in a refugee camp, then living in a cramped room, and my parents had to get a job and work. I went to school in Birmingham and worked hard. I wanted to give back to the community. I did not have an easy start in life, but I bounced back. There are people in this area who are underprivileged, and I wanted to help them. Many people who have benefitted by the work of the charity go on to help others by volunteering in some ways, which builds their confidence and skills.”
Pritesh PattniPhoto: Handout
Rachel Lawler, Post Office area manager, added: “I’m delighted that Pritesh has received this New Years’ Honour for all that he does for his community in Aston. This kind and caring postmaster was a refugee. He and his family had to work hard to rebuild their lives. Pritesh wanted to give back to his community in Birmingham where he’s lived since a young boy, to show his great appreciation.”
Honouring justice advocacy
The 2026 Honours List also features Elizabeth Jane Nisbet Brown, better known as Betty Brown, who has been appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her tireless campaigning for justice following the Post Office Horizon IT scandal.
Brown, 92, is the oldest surviving victim of the scandal, now considered as one of the widest miscarriages of justice in the UK.
Brown and her late husband Oswall, who ran the Annfield Plain Post Office in County Durham from 1985, forced out in 2003 after spending more than £50,000 of their savings to cover non-existent shortfalls.
She recently received her long-awaited settlement from one of the government's compensation schemes.
Brown told BBC Breakfast she accepted the recognition in the New Year Honours list on behalf of all the victims of the scandal.
“Every one of them should have an OBE,” she said. “Every one of them for what they've [Post Office] put us through and what we have stood solid and faithful for. I did it for justice.”
This is not the first time victims of the scandal have been recognised: in the 2025 New Year Honours List, four former subpostmasters who campaigned for justice – Seema Misra, Lee Castleton, Josephine Hamilton, and Christopher Head – were awarded OBEs, and Alan Bates, who led the campaigners, has been knighted in the King’s Birthday Honours in 2024.
Retail and sector leaders recognised
The 2026 Honours List highlights influential figures across the grocery, FMCG and retail sectors.
Simon Roberts, chief executive of Sainsbury’s, received a CBE for services to the retail industry – a nod to his leadership in one of the UK’s largest grocery retailers.
Simon RobertsPhoto: J Sainsbury plc
Sebastian Munden, chair of environmental NGO WRAP, also received a CBE for services to business and to the circular economy.
Before becoming chair of WRAP and Ad Net Zero, Munden worked for more than 30 years in the FMCG sector. He was chief executive of Unilever UK & Ireland for five years until 2022, and before this head of Unilever’s global marketing operations and held other senior roles across Europe and North America.
He also serves as the independent chair of the advisory steering group for Pack UK - the scheme administrator for UK household packaging recycling (Extended Producer Responsibility).
Sebastian MundenPhoto: Handout
“This is an incredible honour. I’d like to pay tribute to my former colleagues at Unilever for over three decades of developing new products together, without whose inspiring partnership none of this would have been possible. And to my current colleagues at WRAP and Ad Net Zero working with businesses to make the circular economy an everyday reality across many different sectors,” Munden said.
“It's also recognition for all those in the grocery industry working to create a better packaging system, and for the practical contribution of businesses alongside national and local governments in the way change is implemented.”
Other notable honours relevant to retail and food production include:
Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
- Michelle Ferguson, director at CBI Scotland, for services to the economy.
- Dr Jonathan Hague, Unilever executive and innovation chair, for services to research and economic development.
Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
- Richard William Clothier, managing director, Wyke Farms, for sustainable agriculture and food production.
- Teresa Colaianni, chair of WiHTL and Diversity in Retail, for inclusion efforts.
- James Whiting, CEO of The Skinny Food Company, recognised for services to the food industry.