THE new owners of a former Polish store in the city centre had thought they were done with retail until recently.

Rashpal Sandhu and her partner Harjit Singh have taken over the former Polish store on The Tything and have turned it into a Premier convenience store.

 Harjit Singh part-owns the store. (Image: Newsquest)
The two have been in the retail industry for 25 years and previously had a store in Worcester for nearly 10 years before deciding to put things behind them and move on. 

However, Miss Sandhu revealed her partner had other plans.

"We had another shop in Worcester and thought we were done with shops but my husband was missing the retail side of things," she said.

SNEAK PEEK: Inside the newly refurbished store. SNEAK PEEK: Inside the newly refurbished store. (Image: Newsquest) "He was missing work, so that's why we got back into it.

"It is a bit scary bringing a new shop to the high street.

"We have retail experience, but sometimes it's hard to tell how things are going to work, so we have taken a plunge.

"Hopefully, fingers crossed, it will work."

The pair had spent around 50k completely refurbishing the former store to make it more appealing to their customers.

The store has undergone a number of changes.The store has undergone a number of changes. (Image: Newsquest) "It feels better after the change and is certainly better," Miss Sandhu added.

"Nowadays, people have to do refurbishments to do well - it is not just our experience but how we look."

Bartus European Delicatessen in The Tything, Worcester, was taken over by Awat Jalal in May 2015 and had a Polish shop called  "Stokrotka Polski Sklep".

The store then remained a Polish supermarket until January this year when Miss Sandhu and Mr Singh took it over to transform it into a general convenience store.

Miss Sandhu added: "Because it was a Polish shop, only people who knew it for selling Polish food would come, and that is not our speciality. 

"We do not know enough about it.

"So we are still trying to keep something if anything is needed to keep everyone happy."

"Otherwise, it is just a convenience shop selling drinks and sandwiches.

"We have a bit of household, groceries and then alcohol."

The store will be hosting an official launch day of the business later this month with face painting and goodies for grabs. 

No date has yet been revealed.