Are corner shops and convenience stores the new Turkish Barbers?

[tighterthanaducksarse]

I've noticed over the past say 15 tears that corner shops are no longer the community hubs they once were. Often run by people of South Asian descent and were usually well stocked with food items and incidentals like fuses and sewing needles etc, you get my drift.
About 90% of the local convenience stores closed,citing ridiculous rises in rents, like more than doubled so we're no longer financially viable.
But...they've been replaced with new tenants,fitted out with high end interiors, neon lighting 24/7,open all hours. They only seem to stock pop and crisps plus fancy air fresheners. They don't stock alcohol, tobacco( only under the counter stuff) I seldom see anyone in them.
I'm in the West Midlands. Anyone else in the uk noticed this trend?

Obviously not in tge west Midlands, they literally make about 25% of shops

Because the people behind these operations pose a danger to everyone. They are involved in people trafficing,fake passport, modern day slavery,benefit fraud,and drugs.

no doubt they use services such as NHS etc, about time these dodgy shops were cracked down on

We have the one with a sign in tesco colous, a wall of bottled water around and a shop full of neon pop and tapes. Definitely never seen anyone in there so it is obviously a front for something.

If you read above, the links are there for you to report.

The towns near us have a glut of neon lit dessert and cake shops that have opened up. Hardly any customers, nasty looking cheap cakes, dodgy as anything.

I’m on the South Staffs/West Midlands border, small town and I noticed today while waiting that the traffic lights that another one of these convenience stores has opened. That’s three now in a small town centre.

Bob shop

Near to where I live,two retail units were built, despite there being quite a few empty shops for rent. One unit became a greasy spoon cafe and the othe a hardware shop. Within a year the cafe stopped trading, which came as no surprise to me as their prices were unrealistically low and the hardware store is still going, however the stuff they sell is the most entry level crap imaginable. Not owned by Kurdish or Albanians but British.

There is so much tat in shops everywhere

especially by the seaside

Yes it’s the same in Hull. Often you get 6 or 7 of these bloody places down one street. How they all stay in business I’ll never know as like you said, you never see anyone in them.

There is one near my granddaughters school and there are always men gathered around outside of it. I normally avoid them like the plague as they always look scruffy (the shop itself, not the men) and having to walk through a group of men to get in isn’t exactly welcoming 🙄

Another thing this same demographic seem to have is fruit shops. Again, multiple shops selling the same stuff down the same street, open 24/7 (who buys fruit and veg in the middle of the night?). One could be forgiven for thinking these shops almost seem like a front for some other kind of business.

lol we must use the same shop. I almost hang my head in shame when I enter and apologetically pass over my parcel, grovel my thank yous and get the heck out of there! PS I’m actually South Asian myself and thought he might have a little solitary/look more kindly upon me but nope, his disgust with parcel returners doesn’t discriminate! 😅

I went into one of these shops recently to buy a bottle of wine to take into an Indian Restaurant.

no wine but the helpful assistant reached from under the counter (literally) to show me his huge selection of cigarettes for sale!

We have multiple "corner shops" never anyone in them. Loads of Turkish barbers with no customers and more than one barber. The one American sweet shop we have is still there, never opens at all now so not even trying to use the pretence of selling anything. Low income small town no one wandering about there have any money to blow on fancy shaves and foreign candy.

I’ve noticed sooo many fake Harry Potter shops opening up.
“UK 2026 - come for the Counterfeit Tat and stay for the Money Laundering!”

Round here Turkish Barbers are just drug pick ups.

I just Googled them and didn't get any interesting news items about what they are a cover for. Just lots of links about boss man shops and Khyber express shops - all face value info.

Birmingham Bob Shops in 'organised crime' sting as illegal cigarettes and vapes seized - Birmingham Live https://share.google/O2pBpUE5cnSt2oJ2S

A sample of the local problem. Those photos couldn't be more typical

Yes,non of them sell alcohol or legitimate tobacco. Too much effort to apply for a licence and if they did it would be very outing.

@notnorman

Please can you report this. Trading standards and Custom and Excise

Most of the Bob Shops haven't submitted accounts to Companies House so probably won't have submitted accounts/tax returns to HMRC either. They seem to get dissolved after 2/3 years, probably before HMRC get around to tracking and investigating them as Co House will dissolve them eventually if they don't submit accounts. So probably not even paying tax either!

Councils receive council tax from these shops, unfortunately that’s all they’re concerned with.

They’re all owned by different people so probably exempt from council tax due to small business relief.

We do have the barbers and American candy shops but our nearest 3 corner shops are the real deal

I noticed this when I first heard of the term Bob shops. I looked them up on companies house. Almost exclusively Iraqi and Afgani too