HOUGHTON TRADING - Key Persons
Anita is Houghton Trading Ltd's office manager. She oversees everything from staff uniforms, accounts, payroll to finances. Before joining the company in 2003 she spent her early years working for Coventry Council and after marrying Kishor in 1987 spent 18 years at Dixons, gaining invaluable experience of how businesses in both the public and private sectors operate and joined the family business in 2005.
When she is not at the office her duties continues with gardening, washing, ironing, cooking, keeping the house clean and taxing the children to and back from stations.
Donna has originally come from Hemel Hempstead where she worked in retail, she has worked for Houghton Trading Ltd since 2007 at Nisa Local stores. During her time at Houghton Trading she grew in her role from Sales Assistant to retail supermarket manager and she has worked at various sites for the company, including starting up a store from scratch at Stevenage. She went to work for Marks & Spencer's Simply Food for a year.
Donna followed us in the food service business when we opened GO Houghton in May 2015. She has an excellent communication skills, which she uses to develop the team and deliver great customer experience.
Donna operations skills are second to none. She works with precision and accuracy; methodically ensuring that the tasks are completed as required. She has organised team meetings, staff parties and conferences - both local and abroad - in Guernsey, Dublin and Belfast.
She has attended most of the company training, conferences, awards ceremonies, exhibitions and coaching session, she is an asset to the company.
Job Titles:
- Store Manager, Nisa Local Crabtree Lane
Haresh came to the UK in 2005 to study and took a part-time job at the Nisa Local store in Elstree and Borehamwood to help finance his studies. Since qualifying he's stayed on in a full-time role at the stores, being promoted to duty manager at the Elstree and Borehamwood store, before becoming store manager at Crabtree Lane when the company took it over in 2007. He's proud to say that under his management the store won the Retail Industry Award for most improved store in 2011.
Job Titles:
- Analyst for Christie & Co 's Corporate Retail Team
Kishan born in 1994, studied at Moorlands primary school in Luton, moving to Bedford Modern for secondary education, followed by graduating with a first class hons degree in Financial Economics at Leicester University. Supports Chelsea FC and follows most sports, loves music and movies.
Kishan is currently an Analyst for Christie & Co's Corporate Retail Team, specialising in project management, research and data analysis. Kishan holds a First Class Honors Degree in Financial Economics from the University of Leicester.
Prior to joining Christie & Co, Kishan worked as an analyst at him! consulting where he undertook research and data analysis, interpreting consumers habits in the retail and hospitality sectors.
He also remains active within the award winning family business.
Kishor Patel - twitter@mrkishorpatel
Kishor is the managing director of Houghton Trading Ltd. An entrepreneur, with a degree in finance, a passion to develop businesses, experience in retailing and a key skill in developing people.
Kishor opted to start his own business rather than pursue a career in accountancy.
Kishor studied, along with his brother Pat, at Grahame Park School in NW London. He went to Hendon College to do his A levels before going on to graduate in Accounting and Finance BA Hons at Middlesex University (as it's now known). His first taste of convenience retailing came while he was studying and took a part-time job in the local Londis store in Colindale. There he learnt the basics of shop operations.
After graduating in 1984, Kishor took a year out to travel and look for opportunities. When he returned to the UK he was faced with two options, to either pursue a career in accountancy or start his own business. He chose the latter and the rest is history.
He seized the opportunity to buy an independent grocery store that came up for sale in Houghton Regis. A small store on a shopping parade, Kishor saw that it would be easy to manage both financially and operationally, with the opportunity to develop and grow. Armed with the experience of having worked at the local Londis store in his teens, he realised the importance of being part of a symbol group to get the support that he needed to develop the business, yet at the same time retain his independence as the owner. So he joined Londis than moved to Nisa in 2004.
In 1987 he married Anita, who joined him in the business as office manager. They have two children. Daughter Misha graduated in English at Queen Mary University and has a full time in London at an Events Company MCCGLC. Son Kishan graduated with first class in Financial Economics at Leicester University and now works has a full time position at Christie & Co as an analyst.
Job Titles:
- Store Manager, Nisa Local Elstree and Borehamwood
Ravi came from India in 2007 to study business management. While he was studying in the UK he joined the Nisa Local store in Elstree and Borehamwood as a part-time sales assistant. Promoted to store manager in 2012, he's been there ever since. Ravi helped out at weekends at the Nisa Local store in Crabtree Lane when it first opened. When he's not working, he enjoys watching football and cricket.
Job Titles:
- Store Manager, Nisa Local the Glebe
Sue's been working at the store since 1989 - at that time it was under different ownership and traded as Londis. She's stayed throughout the changes and is on first-name-terms with many of the customers, seeing the children who used to pop into the store on their way home from school grow up and have children of their own. She enjoys the buzz of the busy store and the great community spirit.