Local supermarket opens to battle Stokey’s chains

Karthik, owner of Shaheen Supermarket, Stoke Newington High Street

The Hackney Citizen recently looked into the impact on local businesses of the recent arrival of Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Iceland on Stoke Newington High Street.

We visited the recently opened Shaheen Supermarket to find out how they are faring, given that they opened for business after the arrival of Sainsbury’s and that they have set up shop next door to the retail chain.

Business owner Karthik says that business has been good since the shop opened a few weeks ago.

Shaheen Supermarket is staffed by workers from the former Shaheen Costcutter, which was located on the current Sainsbury’s premises.

They have kept the Shaheen name, as it has been a feature of the community since 1986 when the first Shaheen’s opened across the street.

Karthik hopes to make the business a success by beating Sainsbury’s on price and selection. A quick price survey showed Shaheen Supermarket to be cheaper on a number of popular products:

Price comparisons for Shaheen and Sainsbury's, 07/10/09; Stella corrected 12/11/09: 6 cans 12/11/09

“We’re proud of the wide range of ethnic foods that we stock and that Sainsbury’s don’t currently offer. Because the shop is independent, we can pass on manufacturers’ price reductions by selling price-marked stock, a practice which benefits both the shop and the customer,” says Keiran, who works at the shop.