A HEREFORDSHIRE shop has reportedly been saved from a ‘nightmare’.

Teamwork and perseverance amongst the staff of the Spar in Bargates, Leominster, has allowed the store to navigate through an intensely difficult period, manager Sarah Branford said.

She said that mismanagement on the part of the owners led to the shop having to operate in lacklustre conditions, with shelves being left empty after multiple months without sufficient stock deliveries. The store’s offerings were further limited when its milkshake machine stopped being filled and its Costa coffee dispenser refused to work, with the overall state of the shop allegedly frustrating customers and leading to abuse being directed at the staff.

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Despite the difficulties they faced, Ms Branford claimed that the team was dedicated to fulfilling their duty to the community and their loyal customers, continuing to work despite the hardships.

The new owner, Zac Zachariou, said he had heard ‘horror stories’ about how the shop was operating and after seeing the empty shelves he decided to take over in order to get the Spar back on track.

“It’s been a nightmare,” said Ms Branford.

“It’s affected us mentally.

“We felt very alone, we had nobody to turn to.

“We wanted to keep the shop open for our loyal customers.

“It’s going to be a hard slog to get it back up and running.

“We wouldn’t be able to get through it all if we hadn’t have stuck together as a team.

“The sense of relief now is absolutely fantastic.”