Welsh pub converted into convenience store

The former Carriage House pub, which shut 15 years ago, has been converted into a One Stop store by 22-year-old Harman Basainty.

Basainty’s family has owned the building for many years but it had never worked well enough when rented out as a café or takeaway.

Harman and his family are no strangers to retail, having already run convenience stores for many years.

However, the new One Stop at Rheidol Avenue, Swansea is his first store under that franchise.

He said: “We’ve never been able to get such a huge range of products before and customers can actually do a full shop.

“The chickens for £5 look really appealing and taste amazing and are so reasonably priced.

“I just never thought we’d be able to stock this much. I looked at my sales from my old store and we’d take around £1,200 a week on chilled and fresh items. We’re now already selling over £700 a day!”

John Miller, head of One Stop franchise, said: “Hats off to Harman and his team who are driving such strong sales and have brought life to what was an iconic building for the local community but had fallen into disrepair.

“During the building’s major refit into a store, Harman worked closely with One Stop to get all the right ingredients for what the area needed.

“This has proved very successful and is now evident in the short time he has been open.

“Harman may be young, but he’s worked in his parents’ store virtually all his life.

“Coming back from school or in the holidays he’d work for them and started full time when he was 16.

“At One Stop we’re thrilled to be able to help him develop his business and help him capitalise on his wealth of experience, local knowledge and the respect he’s garnered in the community, driving the family business forward to the next generation.

“He now employs 12 colleagues, most of them from the local area.”