THE man at the heart of a Redditch institution has sold his business and has stepped down to enjoy his retirement.
Richard Pinder cashed up for the last time at Pinders Newsagent and Post Office on Tuesday after 47 years behind the counter.
Richard’s father bought the Studley Road business in 1947 and since then he’s witnessed the explosion of the new town and the transformation of the Redditch he was born and grew up in.
“Back then Oakenshaw Road was an unadopted road and there were no houses although there was a factory, Reynolds TI which became British Aluminium,” said Richard, aged 68.
“Since I have been here Aeroquip has been built and demolished.”
He’s seen some major changes in the business too: “I remember calculators coming in in the 1970s and the introduction of the computer, and latterly the closure of the banks has proved a growth area for the Post Office.
“There’s obviously been a decline in personal letters with email but we see a lot of transactions now thanks to the growth of ebay.”
He’s lost count of the number of local people he’s employed over the years and says he really will miss running the shop.
“I will miss my customers and staff; I’ve been lucky enough to deal with some really nice people and my customers have been superb,” he said.
Richard was born on Birchfield Road and moved to Studley when he married and still lives locally.
He has a son and a daughter and four grandchildren and says he is looking forward to enjoying his retirement.
In the meantime the popular shop by the Mayfly pub will continue under new ownership.
