Andrew Pakes, Labour MP for Peterborough, met with a local shop manager last week - just two days after the worker had been crowned Employee of the Year at the 2026 Fed Awards.
During the meeting, Avda Kuchhadia, who runs Premier Neil’s in Tyesdale, spoke about trade at the popular Peterborough convenience business owned by Fed member, Neil Godhania.
Also in attendance during the shop visit was the Fed’s political engagement coordinator Douglas Oliver.
Avda explained how he’d beaten competition from across the UK and Ireland for his outstanding role managing the shop, which included maximising trade and implementing a waste reduction system that delivered measurable results.
He also spoke about how drink and snack sales were booming - in part because of the warm summer weather, but also spurred on by the start of the World Cup.
The potential offered from the deposit return scheme (DRS) for recycling bottles and cans - which goes live in October 2027 - was also discussed.
However, Avda also highlighted the problems caused by shop theft and the Fed’s work to highlight the need for greater resourcing for local authority trading standards to tackle the market in illegal goods.
The meeting came shortly after it was announced that the Government was tackling rogue trade by extending powers to increase closure orders and provide greater resourcing for local authority trading standards teams.
“Avda does a brilliant job managing the shop and is a great role model for all those working in independent retail.”
Pakes said: “It was great to meet Avda to congratulate him on his recent award. It’s clear he does a brilliant job managing the shop and what a great role model he is for all those working in independent retail across the country.
“It was interesting to discuss how he uses store data to properly stock this vital community retailer. I acknowledge the challenges small businesses face, and I look forward to working with Avda and the Fed team in the months ahead to ensure we do what we can to support small shops.”
Avda added: “I’d like to thank Andrew for his close interest and kind words following my award. We have a great team at this business, and it was good to discuss the range of products and services we provide - as well as the challenges we face with rising costs.”
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