13 July, Welwyn Garden City: Louise Morgan, a 63-year-old from Johnston, Pembrokeshire, has been recognised as a Retail Hero for the support she provided her local community over the past year.

Louise has run her shop for 20 years and is well tied to the community, many of whom are senior citizens. When the pandemic arose, Louise took it upon herself to ensure the local blocks of 70 plus flats had access to important supplies.

Part of her service has always been taking care of the community, but her efforts doubled in lockdown, arranging appointments and running errands for those in need.

The accolade comes amid increasing appreciation for convenience stores – particularly in Wales. New polling from PayPoint reveals that the local corner shop is Wales’ most valued local amenity, ranking more important than the pub, bank, and post office.

Wales has grown fonder of the corner shop over the past 12 months – 62% of Welsh said their local convenience store has become more important to them and one in four (24%) relied on their local convenience store to supply essentials unavailable elsewhere (e.g. supermarkets) during lockdown.

Louise Morgan is one of 12 PayPoint retailer partners to be named Retail Hero of the month for going above and beyond the call of duty during the past year.

LOuise commented, “Having lived in Johnston and run the shop for so long, I know all my customers and their families. When the pandemic hit, I wanted to do everything I could to help people access everyday things that it suddenly became so hard to get hold of. The shop has definitely been busier over the past year, so it’s great to hear how Wales values the corner shop. I think if anything to come out of the past year it’s a sense of community with those closest to you.”

Ben Ford, PayPoint Retail Services Director, commented: “PayPoint is a people business and retailers like Louise are wonderful ambassadors. We’re proud of everything our network has achieved over the past year. Stories of everyday kindness like these are fantastic to hear. In recognition of her service, we are happy to have made a donation to The Friends Of Llangain County Primary School Charity, Louise’s charity of choice, in her name.”