News / groceries
Curtain call for much-loved Bristol-based expat ‘corner shop’
A popular online “corner shop”for British expats around the world has gone into administration after being rescued less than a year ago.
British Corner Shop (BCS), which held a special place in the hearts of expats, bringing them a slice of home across borders, has announced its abrupt closure.
The grocery shop specialised in sending well-loved and nostalgic British products to expats abroad, but succumbed to financial challenges and entered administration at the beginning of the year.
Based at Stover Trading Estate near Yate, BCS entered administration on January 2, after suffering ongoing financial challenges following impacts of Brexit and the pandemic.
All 20 employees were made redundant. The joint administrators are now focused on supporting impacted employees and releasing the assets of the company.
BCS was a popular online grocery store for British expats around the world – photo: BCS
This is the second time in the past ten months BCS has fallen into administration. Last year, it was sold out of administration to private equity firm Rcapital, saving 51 jobs – 28 jobs in the UK and 23 jobs in the Netherlands where it had a distribution centre.
Jonthan Dunn, partner at FRP and joint administrator of British Corner Shop, said: “British Corner Shop faced significant operational challenges over the past few years and, regrettably, was no longer able to meet its financial obligations.
“Our focus now is on supporting staff with their applications to the Redundancy Payments Service as we wind down the business.”
For years, the company served as a bridge connecting British expatriates with the familiar tastes and comforts of home, from quintessential tea blends to classic biscuits, and popular British snacks.
Over the years, it provided products from the likes of Walkers, Tetley, Cadbury’s, Branston pickle, Marmite and Heinz baked beans.
The closure, undoubtedly, leaves a void for both the expat community and locals who valued the unique service provided by the company. For some, it served as more than just a business, but as a cultural ambassador, maintaining connections between individuals and their homeland through nostalgic home products.
Anglotopia, the website dedicated to “Anglophiles and all things Great Britain”, lamented the demise of BCS with a poignant tribute. It said: “This is a real shame. They were an amazing online British grocery store that allowed expats and Anglophiles worldwide to order real British groceries.”
Over 700,000 British expats all over the world used BCS, and the company garnered over 50,000 Trustpilot reviews.
The company invested in technology and evolved into business-to-business (B2B) sales, providing overseas retailers with British brands that other exporters were unable to deliver.
Despite the recent financial shipwreck, BCS grew into a hugely successful online retailer over the years, generating £8m in sales for 2021 and establishing relationships with leading UK supermarkets such as Marks and Spencer to export their goods.
All photos: BCS
Read next:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
