Husband and wife team Kalpesh and Meeta Raja, who run a forecourt shop in Leicester, are celebrating after winning an award at Bestway Wholesale’s annual Retail Development Awards for the fourth year running.

And they added to this success with an award for another convenience store they took over last year.

The forecourt shop at Parker Drive Service Station in Beaumont Leys won the category award for confectionery, while their convenience store, Best One Raja Stores, Leicester, won the category award for beer and cider.

Meeta said it was brilliant to win a prize for the service station for the fourth year running, and she was very proud that they had won an award for their convenience store in the first year of running it.

Speaking at the awards, Bestway Wholesale managing director Martin Race said: “It’s no secret that it’s tough being an independent retailer these days. It’s even tougher to stay ahead as the multiples, discounters and symbol operators see your success and come gunning for you. That’s why the RDAs are so important to us as a company – to give retailers the category insight and latest shopper trends that help them become better businesses.

“The winners of the Retail Development Awards are not only fantastic retailers in their own right - and shining examples of all that is good in convenience retailing - but they also serve as testimony to other independents who are being challenged daily that independent retail is thriving if they get their customer proposition right.”