A SHOP that has been running on Cam’s high street for the last 30 years enjoys reaching the milestone with a bottle of bubbly- for all of its customers.

Family-run business A1 Appliances has been in operation since July 1984 providing and delivering a wide range of electrical appliances.

Starting off in a bizarre set of circumstances, owner Paul Cunningham, 61, had taken a wrong turn one evening and went into Cam’s fish and chip shop to ask for directions.

The owner told the father-of two from Winterbourne in passing that the store next door was empty and within two weeks Paul and his wife Rosemarie opened the business.

Shop manager and Paul’s son-in-law John Cunningham-Smith said it was an impressive achievement.

“It’s always nice to reach a landmark,” he said.

“We’re just pleased that we’re still doing the right thing and serving the community of Cam, Dursley and in the wider area of Gloucestershire.”

The store has weathered numerous recessions and downturns but still proves to be a popular choice for residents, something Mr Cunningham-Smith puts down to understanding customers needs.

“The key is to appeal to the current market and to not stand still and sell them the same thing. You have to keep on your feet, react to the market,” he said.

“I put it down to a nice base of customers that knows we’re there and the service we provide.”

Last year the store underwent an expansion to the back of the shop by providing warehousing room for hundreds of appliances, allowing them to show their customers more stock and deliver them quicker, without a middle man.

“The fact that we can have this stock makes us more flexible and efficient in the way we run,” said Mr Cunningham-Smith.

“We’re confident enough to do that.”

As part of its celebrations, every customer who buys a product during the month will be given a free bottle of bubbly and will be entered into a prize draw..

The prize raffle is to win one of 20 Kenwood coffee makers