Retailer stars in new corner shop campaign

STORY BEHIND LOCAL BUSINESS IS REVEALED

- By KIRSTIE MCCRUM

A TEESSIDE retailer is starring in a new campaign spotlighting the invaluable role that corner shops - and the people behind the counter - play in their local communities.

Bay Bashir is the owner of five Go Local Extra convenience stores in Middlesbrough.

He is one of six business owners from across the country that will feature in the Coca-Cola campaign, including a new portrait and docu-series shot by award-winning director Ross Bolidai and National Portrait Gallery photographer Serena Brown.

The short film reveals Bay's incredible story, which began with opening his first shop in 1998, with a new family and no experience of how to run a store.

Today, his chain of stores which he runs with his sons Max and Ellis - are a legacy his family and his community can be proud of for generations to come. As well as being the subject of his own micro-documentary, Bay and his sons' faces will be proudly on display on out-of-home advertisement spots across Middlesbrough.