It’s the end of an era for businessman John Pasicznyk.
After 40 years selling newspapers, magazines, sweets and soft drinks to Huddersfield’s travelling public at The Kiosk in Huddersfield bus station, he has sold the business to pursue other interests.
From this week, the shop is owned by Birmingham-based Rippleglen Ltd – which has taken on all 12 members of staff and already owns Arden News at the Piazza Shopping Centre.
John said: “It is a massive wrench to leave The Kiosk. It has been my baby and I have enjoyed the contact with the staff and customers. It’s lovely to go down there and have people still recognise me after 30-odd years. The biggest difficulty was deciding to sell. Securing the jobs for my loyal and trustworthy staff was top of my list of priorities.
“The staff have been amazing because they are the ones who have maintained that personal service all these years.”
John acquired The Kiosk in January, 1974, just a month after the bus station opened. He and wife Elaine were co-directors.
“It was a traditional newsagents selling newspapers, magazines, tobacco, soft drinks, crisps and snacks,” he said. “The staff had to remember all the prices and we weighed out rather than selling everything pre-packed.
“Over the years, it has expanded and things changed tremendously. In 1992, we moved from the original site where the travel centre now is to a bigger unit twice the size in the bus station entrance, which enabled us to upgrade our operations. We brought in electronic point of sale which was in its infancy.
“In 1993, we started selling National Lottery tickets. It was only earlier this month that we were told we had raised over £2m for charity through our lottery ticket sales.”
Click below to see just how much Huddersfield town centre has changed over the last 50 years with our gallery of images snapped by the late Alderman Clifford Stephenson in the 1960s and 70s.
He also noted how customer buying habits had changed over the decades. “Bottled water has become our top seller in terms of chilled products,” he said. “At the same time, tobacco and cigarette sales have fallen – but scratchcards have become a big driver in generating footfall.”
New owner Rippleglen is one of the UK’s largest, independently-owned newsagent and convenience chains with more than 100 branches throughout England and Wales and employing 650 people. It trades under the Arden News, Supernews and News Shops and has sites in the Midlands, North West, Yorkshire, and Wales.
John, who lives at Ainley Top, has been a well-known business figure in Huddersfield since the 1970s. He started working at Heywood Williams in 1967 before leaving in 1971 to open a convenience store with his brother Myron at Cowlersley. A second store opened at Birchencliffe in 1973 before the opening of The kiosk the following year.
John also began buying commercial property, including a warehouse at Syringa Street, Marsh, which was rented out to department store Kayes and latterly Peter’s. John also bought offices in Trinity Street and in 1981 acquired the former petrol station and garage at Luck Lane, Paddock. He sold the two convenience stores in the 1980s.
In 1987, John opened Double J cash-and-carry at Leeds Road and in 1995 built new premises for the business at Red Doles Lane. In July, 1999, he sold the cash-and-carry operation to Booker.
John is a member of the National Federation of Newsagents, a member of Huddersfield Golf Club – where both he and Elaine play. He was a member of Huddersfield Round Table for 19 years and is also a member of Huddersfield Ukrainian Club at Edgerton.
At the age of 64, he has no intention of retiring and intends to retain his interest in property.
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