A REDDITCH store has been crowned Best Small Store at the prestigious Convenience Retail Awards.

Biddles Simply Fresh, which has been trading 30 years, started life as a greengrocers but was converted into a Simply Fresh two years ago.

The store is well-established as a hub of the local community and thanks to its in-store kitchen is able to offer home-made pies and ready meals as well as a huge select ion of locally sourced fruit and veg, bread and fresh meat.

Owner Simon Biddle and his team have cultivated strong links with the community and the store regularly supports initiatives for both the elderly and local schoolchildren.

Mr Biddle said: “I'm so thrilled that all of our efforts have been recognised and rewarded. I knew that we were in with a chance, but the competition was stiff so I’m doubly chuffed to have won.

"Our home-made foods and our fresh and chilled ranges are very strong points, but we also have a great team and I’m very proud of them.

"The win will also mean a great deal to our customers, they’ll be over the moon, in fact I’m already getting lots of tweets and Facebook messages.”

The awards, organised by trade magazines Convenience Store and The Grocer, celebrate the very best convenience stores that the UK has to offer in terms of business achievement, product range, customer service, and community interaction.

Convenience Store editor David Rees said: “Simon Biddle has worked extremely hard to rise to the challenge of local competition, and offer shoppers something compelling and different.

"Despite being a small store, it stocks everything that a shopper would hope for and expect from a neighbourhood store, with no compromise on quality when it comes to fresh, home-made and locally-produced food.”