Almost 40 years have passed since Veronica Pearson cut a ribbon to officially open Holt’s Budgen’s supermarket - and today she got to do so again.
Mrs Pearson, 47, said she was thrilled to have done the honours on the store’s first day of trading.
The Holt local said: “In 1985 I was 10, and there was a colouring competition which all the children in the town entered.
“Mine won it, so I got to cut the ribbon and was given a Swiss watch. It’s so exciting to be able to come and shop again in the town.”
Mrs Pearson was there with her 17-year-old daughter Daisy and mum, Christine Owen, 73.
The previous Budgens - which occupied the same site off Kerridge Way - was destroyed in a fire caused by an electrical fault on the night of June 20, 2020.
MORE: Work to start on replacement of Budgens following fire
Mrs Owen, who also lives in Holt, said: “It’s so good to have it back - this is the only store we’ve ever had.
"It was always a place where people would meet and share the latest news and we’ve missed having that.”
MORE: New Holt Budgens ready to rise from the ashes after fire
After the blaze its owner, the firm CT Baker, set up a ‘pop-up’ supermarket in the car park, which will now be dismantled.
Jane Gurney-Read, CT Baker’s chairman, said she was ‘over the moon’ at starting this new chapter in the store’s history.
She said: “Three years ago I was standing out there with the shell of the store, so to see this brand new store up permanently now is fantastic.”
A long queue of shoppers formed outside the supermarket and cheered Mrs Pearson on as the ribbon was cut.
They then flooded inside to explore shelves heaving with fresh produce and sample food from suppliers including cheese from Norton’s Dairy and meat from Broadland Hams.
Donations, made following fundraising by Budgens staff at the pop-up store, were presented: £5,660 to the Fire Fighters Charity and £3,000 to Debra, a charity that supports families affected by epidermolysis bullosa (EB).
And the first 1,000 customers received a £30 goody bag filled with essentials such as bread and teabags, as well as a few treats.
Sandra Taylor-Meeds, store manager, said she was delighted with how everything had come together.
Mrs Taylor-Meeds, 64, was part of the team at the previous Budgens from the start, and quickly worked her way up to being manager.
She now leads a workforce of around 60 at the new store.
She said: “The team that’s helped has been amazing and the store looks amazing. It’s beyond expectations.
“A lot of people have sent us good luck messages and their kind wishes, it really is quite touching.
“All our local suppliers are back - they’re just so passionate about what they do. It’s lovely to be able to support the local community.”
The first customer through the doors was Bridget Waller, 95, who walked her way in from her home about a mile away, with the help of a walking frame.
She said: “I just wanted to be here to see it.
“I’ve never seen an opening before, so I thought: let’s go.
It’s lovely the way they’ve looked after me, everybody is friendly.”
The store includes a Post Office branch, which will be open Monday to Friday 8.30am-5.30pm and 8.30am-2pm on Saturday.
It also has a refill station where customers can buy cereal and other items while using their own packaging.
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