After more than 50 years, the shutters have fallen for the final time on a pioneering Ashton food store.

Back in 1969, Lovlee’s Continental Foods on Penny Meadow was one of the first to bring exotic produce from around the world to the region’s dinner plates. 

From small beginnings, the original shop was expanded and continued to thrive as an independent family business through three generations, satisfying Tamesiders’ increasingly adventurous tastebuds.

Having blazed a trail which others have followed, increased competition from supermarkets in recent years saw Lovlee’s struggling to compete. 

Parmesher Singh, grandson of the original proprietors, said the decline had been hastened by the new bypass behind Penny Meadow.

He said: “It used to be heaving with cars. Customers came from all over Tameside but the bypass has made it much harder for them to get here.”

Looking back to happier times, Parmesher said his grandparents Shamsher Singh and Gurkirtan Kour-Singh opened the shop helped by their five children, specialising in foods from several continents. 

“For example, they sold dried food and vegetables from India and Kenya, fresh fruit from Holland, Spain and Cyprus, fresh fish and crabs from the North Sea and the Atlantic. They even sold meat from local farmers.”

Lovlee’s proved very popular with Tameside’s Indian and Pakistani community and many close friends were made. The business flourished and eventually took over the entire block of commercial properties on Penny Meadow.

In the early 1970s the family ventured into the off-licence industry and went on from strength to strength selling wines, spirits and beers from across the globe.

“We were so busy,” said Parmesher. 

“I remember queues of customers outside the shop at Christmas time. My siblings and I helped manually ‘handball’ pallets and pallets of alcoholic beverages off our lorry and into our on-site warehouses. 

“Let’s just say we would rather have done more homework! However, we learnt many things and met a lot of interesting people along the way.”

The enduring friendship with their many loyal customers shone through when Gurkirtan suffered a stroke in 1998 which left her wheelchair-bound and unable to speak before she sadly passed away in 2011. 

“It was humbling to see many members of the Tameside community offer their condolences,” said Parmesher.

Parmesher’s parents, known to all as Jeff and Angela continued to run the business with his grandfather, now aged 81, until the end finally came at the end of March. 

“It is fair to say the rewards no longer reflected the efforts put into the business. It is time to close this chapter, try other things, and enjoy life.”

Read more from the Tameside Reporter

Click here for more of the latest news

Click here to read the latest edition of the paper online

Click here to find out where you can pick up a copy of the paper