Tristan and Claire King have been crowned the best independent Spar retailers across the Blakemore Trade Partners network.

The couple picked up the Baldwin Cup at Blakemore Trade Partners’ Spar Retail Show (SRS) awards ceremony on 16 June in recognition of their commitment to developing their business, King Family Stores.

The trophy is awarded to one retailer every year and celebrates the best stores across Spar UK’s Meridian & Welsh Guild region.

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King Family Stores dates back to 1997, when the business was founded by Tristan and his parents. Tristan and his wife, Claire, took sole ownership in 2016 and today have six Spar stores in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and South Yorkshire.

They have developed their own food-to-go brand, Kings Kitchen, with five of their sites operating the brand to varying degrees: from a simple chilled offer to a full hot menu more akin to a traditional takeaway. 

Blakemore Trade Partners commercial director Louis Drake said: “Since joining Spar, Tristan and Claire have demonstrated outstanding commitment to developing their business. Not wanting to rest on their laurels, they are constantly looking for opportunities to grow.

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“The business is full of innovation, something that is most evident in the development of their Kings Kitchen food-to-go concept, which has been developed to create a real point of difference and drive sales and profitability.

“The couple regularly move outside their comfort zone and have formed a formidable business partnership. Congratulations on this very deserved win.”

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