Family-run supermarket is sold

Property adviser Christie & Co has announced the sale of Stans Superstore - a long‑established family-run supermarket in St Martins, near Oswestry.

The Faulks family, who have owned and operated Stans, said: “We have been thinking about an exit strategy for some time now and we feel that now is the right time. The new business owners are already in retail trade with petrol forecourts, retail outlets and hotels. We feel this is the right company to secure the long-term sustainability of Stans and take it into the future.

“We have upgraded the store over recent years, including new checkouts and an extensive refrigeration upgrade, with more environmentally friendly and energy efficient doors and lids on 99% of our chilled and frozen cabinets, extensive solar panel systems on the main store and now on the petrol station, new bread ovens in the deli area, resurfaced main car parks, complete new trolley fleet (no more squeaky wheels!), a rain capture system which we use for watering our gardening plants and flower offerings, and more recently added the post office, pharmacy and EV charging points along with brand-new petrol pumps in the filling station.

"On site, there is also the barber shack with chiropodist services included. The new foyer with kiosk/customer services and brand new kitchen in our coffee shop has also been added in the last few years.

“We are so proud of the name Stans, the history of Stans, and all that it means to local community, as well as further afield as our reputation has grown over the years. We are also proud to be part of the Stans family and we’ve enjoyed growing up and working in the business from the ages of five and six, working after school and weekends.

“We grew up in a family business environment, with Mum and Dad, who started off as a fish and chip shop in 1947. The business grew over the years and after coming back from working with Tesco and Woolworths in 1974, Dad, Mum and ourselves enjoyed working together so much, and had several alterations to the shop over the next 14 years.

Tragically Dad died of a massive heart attack in May 1988, and we were all absolutely devastated. He was only 67. As Mum said, it would’ve been his last wish for us all to carry on. With Mum’s help and support we trebled the size of the shop and in November 1991 Mum and Liz Dawn (Vera Duckworth) cut the ribbon and Stans Shop became Stans Superstore, with a petrol station added in 1994. By this time, Stans grandchildren, Andrew, Sarah, Lisa and Katie had all come into the business.

“The business could not have grown and evolved without the tremendous support of our staff, many of whom have been with us for 20, 30, 40 years and more. We would like to say a huge thank you to them all, and especially the current team of 123 members.

"We’d also like to thank our thousands of loyal customers who have supported Stans for many years and especially those who have followed their parents and grandparents shopping at Stans. We are sure that the new owners will also value and appreciate your continuous support as we have done.

“Finally, a huge personal thank you to our respective families for their help, support and encouragement in all that we have done. Similarly, we wish to thank all our suppliers, especially those in the local vicinity for their wonderful support and ideas. We have enjoyed every minute of being ‘Stans’ and all that it entails, but we feel that now is the right time to finally put our feet up.”

Dave Morris, regional director at Christie & Co, who handled the sale, said, “Stans Superstore is a fantastic family-owned supermarket and one of the largest of its kind in England, with a petrol station on site. It has been a pleasure helping the Faulks family sell this important community asset, and I look forward to seeing the supermarket continue to thrive under the new ownership.”

Stans Superstore sold for an undisclosed price.