After months of wondering what would appear in the space of a relocated bakery, a smart, glass fronted supermarket, ‘Simply Fresh’, appeared in May 2013 in the little village of Thames Ditton.  In contrast to the other shops, it is brand new and of modern style which complements the village as well as attracting customers who have waited in anticipation.  The owner of this shop has spotted a gap in the market for a much-needed convenience store in this busy community.

 

 Manager, Gurpreet Gill, says that they have had “lots of happy customers since opening”  and when asked if he thought the community was happy to have a supermarket on the doorstep he replied “it is good for them because the closest supermarkets before were very far away so we brought one here.”  He was very pleased to tell me that “the shop has been getting steadily busier”.  The most busy times of the day are “ the afternoon, lunch; as other local workers can come to buy something to eat, and the evenings are busy also.”

 

 Mr Gill mentioned that the organic produce, of which the small convenience store has a good selection, are very popular although the items in highest demand are; “ready prepared food and products from the chiller; cold drinks and juices, wine and fresh bread”. The bread is baked every day, displayed in wicker baskets at the entrance to the shop and accompanied by a large selection of pastries. 

 


 The store is located on the High Street where parking is difficult.  However, Thames Ditton has a large, underused carpark behind the shop and ‘Simply Fresh’ are hoping there will be access to the back of the shop from the car park in the near future. “Parking is the biggest problem as the road is very busy.” Gurpreet Gill also  mentioned that although the shop is quite spacious, “there is not enough space to expand, even if we wanted to” but every corner is well utilised.
Products are sourced from multiple suppliers happily including some local producers who supply pies and bread to the store. ‘Simply Fresh’ has a personal service ethos and will make every effort to obtain any specific items on request.

 


 Mr Gill is enjoying working in Thames Ditton, where he is “always busy, it’s very good.”