As Scotland continues along the road out of lockdown shoppers are being encouraged to support the businesses on their doorstep to help the local economy and reduce the risk of virus outbreaks.

One Hamilton business that is certainly worth a visit is The Hungry Gannet, a deli serving breakfast and brunch that takes the concept of a high street sandwich bar and upcycles it.

When lockdown came into force The Hungry Gannet was one of many local businesses that successfully applied for grant support through South Lanarkshire Council to help them offset the impact.

Owner Taher Purwaiz said; “From the outset I was committed to supporting my team and set my sights on future recovery but with the deli closed and no money coming in my wife and I were very concerned about the future. Funding from the recovery grant we received was an absolute lifeline financially and emotionally, it gave us the boost to know that we could make it through and come back stronger.”

Taher said the concept behind the Hungry Gannet is simple: “I want to offer people something special, I want them to feel they have stepped out of the everyday and into a holiday, but I also want to serve up the best quality at a price that means they can afford to treat themselves every day.”

"We aim for our customer service to be the best but that can only be achieved if every member of the team shares that goal, I believe we do and I am very grateful for that. The success of a business is a team effort, if we want to be here our customers want to be here.”

In the early stages of developing The Hungry Gannet Taher approached South Lanarkshire Council’s Economic Development team who were able to offer him advice, support and funding to help him realise his dream.

The council’s Economic Development service provides support and advice to businesses to help with start-ups, development and growth, for further information see Support_for_business.

When it opened last year The Hungry Gannet quickly proved a hit with workers from local shops and offices.

Then the pandemic hit, Taher said: “From the start of lockdown we were closed for seven weeks and when we opened we didn’t know what we were coming back to. We were delighted by the support of the local community people would stop in for a treat on their daily walk or to try something different for lunch.”

Taher continued; “Now as we come out of lockdown we are really pleased to be welcoming more of our old customers back and to continue to serve our new ones, I set out to offer something a bit different that big city holiday feeling right on their doorstep.

Chair of South Lanarkshire Community and Enterprise Councillor John Anderson said: “Shop Safe, Shop Local is a great message we all need to work together to support recovery and South Lanarkshire has so many great local businesses to discover.”

South Lanarkshire Council Economic Development team was involved throughout the early development stages of Taher’s new venture offering advice and guidance. In addition, grant support towards capital equipment and infrastructure improvements. Also, referral to various organisations for specialist help as well as connections to the wider network of support.

Visit South Lanarkshire Means Business for more information on support for established and start-up businesses Support_for_business