The Food Programme

Why The Corner Shop Has Come Into Its Own


Listen Later

Remember March? Before the UK lockdown. Remember desolate supermarket shelves? Toilet rolls, eggs, flour nowhere to be found?

Where did you turn? Chances are you may have hit the jackpot in your local corner shop.

Sales in corner shops and independent grocers were up by 63 per cent in the three months to May according to industry analysts Kantar. For many small grocery shops, business has never been better. But as Sheila Dillon finds out, that's gone hand in hand with exceptionally long hours, miles and miles driven to cash & carries, finding new local suppliers, entrepreneurial social distancing solutions, and alot of community support.

In this programme Sheila checks in with the people running corner shops across the country, and with their customers. She hears from Caroline Craig and Sophie Missing, whose local shops inspired them to write 'The Cornershop Cookbook'. And Babita Sharma, author of 'The Corner Shop: The True Story of the Little Shops - and Shopkeepers - Keeping Britain Going' talks about her experience of growing up 'behind the counter'.

Presented by Sheila Dillon.

Produced in Bristol by Clare Salisbury.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The Food ProgrammeBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

241 ratings


More shows like The Food Programme

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,585 Listeners

Business Daily by BBC World Service

Business Daily

526 Listeners

More or Less by BBC Radio 4

More or Less

889 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,049 Listeners

World Business Report by BBC World Service

World Business Report

294 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,454 Listeners

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4 by BBC Radio 4

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4

2,114 Listeners

Desert Island Discs by BBC Radio 4

Desert Island Discs

1,977 Listeners

Health Check by BBC World Service

Health Check

90 Listeners

Gardeners' Question Time by BBC Radio 4

Gardeners' Question Time

283 Listeners

The Food Chain by BBC World Service

The Food Chain

347 Listeners

Ramblings by BBC Radio 4

Ramblings

158 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

411 Listeners

Inside Health by BBC Radio 4

Inside Health

87 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

236 Listeners

All in the Mind by BBC Radio 4

All in the Mind

67 Listeners

Gardening with the RHS by Royal Horticultural Society

Gardening with the RHS

250 Listeners

Evil Genius with Russell Kane by BBC Sounds

Evil Genius with Russell Kane

369 Listeners

Have You Heard George's Podcast? by BBC Sounds

Have You Heard George's Podcast?

232 Listeners

Sliced Bread by BBC Radio 4

Sliced Bread

129 Listeners

Elis James and John Robins by BBC Radio 5 Live

Elis James and John Robins

326 Listeners

Good Food by Good Food

Good Food

43 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,188 Listeners

grow, cook, eat, arrange with Sarah Raven & friends by Sarah Raven

grow, cook, eat, arrange with Sarah Raven & friends

205 Listeners

Sport's Strangest Crimes by BBC Radio 5 Live

Sport's Strangest Crimes

68 Listeners

Uncanny by BBC Radio 4

Uncanny

834 Listeners

Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley by BBC Radio 4

Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley

513 Listeners

Believe in Magic by BBC Sounds

Believe in Magic

623 Listeners

The Global Story by BBC World Service

The Global Story

269 Listeners

Miss Me? by BBC Sounds

Miss Me?

256 Listeners

The History Podcast by BBC Radio 4

The History Podcast

65 Listeners

Rory Stewart: The Long History of... by BBC Radio 4

Rory Stewart: The Long History of...

77 Listeners

What's Up Docs? by BBC Radio 4

What's Up Docs?

102 Listeners

Havana Helmet Club by BBC Sounds

Havana Helmet Club

2 Listeners