Family look to leave popular Grangemouth shop in good hands

The Bowhouse Newsagent, in Bowhouse Square, has become a vital part of the community over the past two decades and especially during recent times with the coronavirus pandemic taking hold.

Sadly Ghulam’s health is not what it once was and he and Shagufta have had to make the difficult decision to step away from the business.

“We were so happy here,” said Shagufta. “We know everyone in the area, and in the whole of Grangemouth. There is no problem with the shop, but my husband is not felling very well at the moment.”

While the family have not officially put the shop on the market, they have placed a notice on their popular, and much visited, Facebook page stating their intentions to leave the premises and asking for interested parties to come forward if they wish to talk about taking over the business.

During the COVID-19 crisis the family have gone out of their way to obtain stock and help their customers. The have been ordering items people have asked for and putting regular updates online to tell potential shoppers about the goods they have on their shelves, so no one wastes a trip out or is disappointed.

Earlier in the year, before the coronavirus lockdown came into force, the Bowhouse Newsagents went the extra mile to help their most vulnerable customers.

To ensure everyone got their fair share of goods, at a time when supermarkets were being swept bare by those now infamous panic buyers, the family was driving down to England to stock up and then carrying out delivery runs for vulnerable people aged over 70 who were about to find out what self-isolation meant.

They also tried to ensure everyone got a reasonable supply of hand sanitisers, and in some cases bought goods from other shops to make up temporary shortfalls.

At the time son Zain Farid said Bowhouse Newsagent had been going as far as Newcastle to secure supplies of basic items like toilet rolls and hand sanitisers, and was regularly using reliable cash and carry resources in Glasgow to bolster stocks.

Zain said: “We are proud to be part of the community, and as a local service we are determined to do everything possible to help our local community in this situation.

“We’re starting at 5.30am to try and get stocks of bread and other items that can be difficult to obtain later, and we’re even buying on things like E-bay where necessary.”

Zain, who has been helping the business during weekends and after work, said his parents strongly feel that during a period of real crisis they have an duty to local people that goes above and beyond the normal business and customers relationship.

Espeically, he added, when it comes to the community’s elderly and disabled people.

Visit www.facebook.com/bowhousenews for more information about Bowhouse Newsagent.