THE OWNER of a new supermarket has talked about opening her ‘dream’ business.
Al Rizq Supermarket is getting ready to open soon on Desborough Road in High Wycombe, selling food, sweat treats and meat from Tariq Halal butchers.
The owner Shamala Sohbat, who was born and raised in High Wycombe, said launching a business of this scale was a “dream”.
She grew up surrounded by family businesses and now, with the support of family and friends, the supermarket is almost ready to launch.
“I have done many jobs, I have worked in supermarkets, helped the family with their business, social care and nursing, I’ve gone up and down the ladder, but to be honest this is a dream,” she said.
Al Rizq stands up to competition thanks to a wide selection of food and Tariq Halal butchers, which the nearby Lidl and Aldi lack.
“I wanted a complete different set up to all other shops in High Wycombe. The butchers is completely separate to the retail. A massive freezer and meat section and the whole shop on the ground floor. Upstairs I’m going to work on a project to bring an Asian bakery, a beauty parlour and a cafe. It’s going to be an all-in-one stop.”
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The cafe will serve food and there will also be a clothes and a flower shop upstairs “all under one roof.”
“No one in High Wycombe or the areas nearby has that,” he said.
The plan is to open the supermarket first while Shamala and the team will continue getting the upstairs ready for launch at a later date.
Shamala used to keep the shutter open whilst getting the supermarket ready to speak to people, get to know them and let them have a “nose around” before opening.
However, working became difficult as there were so many people asking for jobs, which shows how much people are “struggling,” she said.
“What’s shocking is the amount of people that are hunting for jobs. People are struggling. They are looking for part time, evenings as something’s better than nothing. We’ve got a long waiting list for people looking for jobs. Although we’re fully staffed we’ve got a long waiting list and even today three to four people came knocking for jobs,” she said.
The opening date was initially meant to be Saturday, January 20, but it had to be postponed. The new date will be revealed in due course.
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