Sparrows, a long-established store in the village of Laxfield, took over the business in July 1994. They continued trading as ‘Horners’ but introduced many modern ideas. After refurbishing they extended the opening hours to 7.30 – 9 Monday-Saturday and 9 – 9 on Sundays. They installed a scanning system at the till. Self-service was available as well as assisted shopping from helpful, knowledgeable staff which included Bill, Margaret and Mary, with a combined 60 years’ service. There were 12 members of staff in total. Free home deliveries in the local area continued; orders could still be made in advance, in writing or by telephone, to be collected at the customer’s convenience.
The shop was a member of the Londis group, a large buying organisation with around 1400 affiliated shops. Advantage could be taken of bulk-buying deals as well as the marketing expertise of the group, giving value-for-money and regular special offers to customers. A Video Club was introduced, with free membership and a nightly hire charge. There were 250 members and 125 titles available, with new releases added weekly. A Christmas Club proved very popular.
The Manager, Kevin Dunkley, known as ‘Freddie’, was an old friend of Roger Sparrow, having met at catering college 12 years earlier.
The shop contributed to village life by supporting and participating in local events. Management and staff felt the village had reacted well to a new approach and thanked everyone for their encouragement, goodwill and custom.
(Taken from an article in the East Anglian Daily Times July 1995.)
The lease was sold in 2005 and the shop was run as a Londis store.
It continued to be leased until shortly before Jack’s death in 2017. The shop was later bought by Jon Hunt, owner of Cockfield Hall and it continues to be leased as a Grocery/Newsagent/Off Licence, run since August 2018 by Mr Namasiviyam Ravichandran, known as Ravi and his wife Vasanthiny, who travel from London each week and Mr Thangavelyutham Vasanthakumar, known as Kumar and his wife Thavarany, who live in Yoxford (all originally from Sri Lanka). The business still trades under the name ‘Horner’s’.