If you’ve been along Wilford Road over Dutton’s Hill this week, you may have noticed that Ruddington’s convenience store has shut again – with all the shelves emptied.
Happily we can report that this closure, which started today (Monday 26th February 2024), is only a temporary one – with the business set to reopen in just over a week’s time following refurbishment and rebranding.
Reuben Grice’s former shop at 12-14 Wilford Road was empty for several months in 2010/2011 before being refurbished and fitted out for a Sainsbury’s Local, which traded there until February 2021. They then also left our village. In July 2021, after a further period lying vacant, the premises were put back into similar, retail use by new tenant Ram Devabhai under the Spar shop franchise and branding.
Just over a year later, a temporary sign appeared saying that it would be swapping from Spar to the ‘Go Local Extra’ chain (run by Parfetts). Then, just a year after that, another temporary sign appeared (in November 2023) saying it would be “having a One Stop makeover!” The new, permanent signage will look like this:
‘One Stop’ is a retail convenience business based in Walsall but has also been a subsidiary of Tesco since 2003. It now has 1000 shops across the country and claims to have “a key focus on being the best store for customers in the neighbourhood.” Indeed, the company was recognised by the Retail Industry Awards for its efforts, picking up Convenience Retailer of the Year and Multiple Community Retailer of the Year in 2022.
Once the shop’s latest, long-awaited makeover is completed, its product range and opening hours are likely to be similar to before. However, Ruddington customers will get to see the new branding, and what’s on offer, next week.
Villager shoppers old and new are being invited to the store’s grand reopening on Thursday 7th March between midday and 4pm.
