With some big changes being made to the store, there hasn't been a better time to rebrand.

I am proud to have the name Singh and proud to have had it used as part of our business brand while trading under the Singh's Premier fascia. My wife and I very seriously considered taking the Singh name into our new branding with the Go Local Extra brand that we are taking on with the change of supply partner.

The Singhs Premier brand, operated by Mandeep Singh and his family, has a high profile around Sheffield. We felt that this may lead to some confusion, so we have looked at how we can step out of their shadow. It seemed to us that a complete change of image is needed.

We've got a story to tell

Doubling the size of our store, changing the range, supplier and the customer experience has given us a story to tell our current and potential customers as we think about the marketing of our launch. Looking at who we are and what our place in our neighbourhood is, we decided it was time to be ourselves.

The name we have come up with is MJ’s Local. The M is from my wife’s name, Mandeep and the J is mine. There are two reasons for putting the M before the J, firstly as the J gives a longer sound when spoken it just feels the more natural way to have it. The second reason is that Mandeep is most important person in my life. Through all the challenges, she keeps me grounded, I could not do this alone.

Getting valuable feedback

I used Facebook to get advice from my retailer friends across the country to gain their opinions as we initially looked at Mj’s local. The consensus was that having the MJ in capitals was a much stronger choice.

We also developed a strap line for the new branding, “Our Community – Your Store”. We think that it is an honest statement about how we see our place in neighbourhood we serve.

Follow Jai's journey from the very beginning here.