“IT’S what Dad would have wanted”.

The words of Gurmail Singh’s oldest son, Bobby Hayre, as he and the rest of the family confirm plans to re-open their father’s shop.

Cowcliffe Convenience Stores – the shop run by murder victim Mr Singh for six years – will re-open on Tuesday.

And the family are doing it as a way of saying “thanks” to the local community who rallied around after the terrible, tragic events of February 20.

Mr Singh was battered to death in his shop by a gang of men.

Five men have appeared in court accused of murdering the much-respected Huddersfield shopkeeper.

The attack happened the day after Mr Singh’s 63rd birthday. He had lived in the UK since 1963.

Since the tragedy, the shop has remained closed.

But now a complete refit is almost finished and the shelves are being stocked with groceries, magazines, newspapers, cigarettes and alcohol.

Mr Hayre, 38, is the oldest of Mr Singh’s three children.

He, his sister Narinder, 36, and brother Jas, 35, hope the re-opening will be appreciated by the community.

“My dad built up the shop from scratch and it became very much a part of the community,’’ said Mr Hayre.

“Many people used to call in not to buy something but just for a chat and my dad loved that.

“It was like a social centre and he loved it, having worked it up from nothing.

“We all have our own businesses to run and we thought long and hard about what we should do. In the end, we decided we wanted to re-open the shop and I know it’s what Dad would have wanted.

“This is a lovely, friendly little community where people care for each other.

“My mother Mohinder hasn’t been into the shop since the day of Dad’s death but people here have never forgotten her.

“Several of them call regularly at the house, to bring her flowers or just to chat. It’s that sort of place.”

The shop will be open seven days a week – but with staff running it.

They hope to open each day from 6.45am to 11.30am and then again from 2.30pm to 9pm.

The men facing charges of the murder and robbery of shopkeeper Mr Singh are Umare Aslam, 20, of Coniston Avenue, Dalton; Muawaz Khalid, 20, of Blackmoorfoot Road, Crosland Moor; Shoaib Khan, 18, of Calton Street, Hillhouse; Nabeel Shafi, 18, of Park Hill, Bradley; and Rehman Afzal, 18, of Jacinth Court, Fartown.

Their case has been adjourned for a plea and case management hearing at Leeds Crown Court on July 19. A preliminary trial date is listed for August 31 and a trial is expected to last five weeks.

Earlier this year, an A-Level student was handed a six-month detention and training order after admitting robbing Mr Singh two days before he was fatally attacked.

The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, robbed Mr Singh of cigarettes at his store on February 18.