spokespeople

 

1. John McKeown, Northern Ireland Spokesman, Ballymena Shopkeeper
John McKeown joined as Northern Ireland Spokesman in 2006 and has run a shop in Ballymena for 25 of the 29 years he has been in retail. Before that, John trained as a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Surveyor carrying out work across Northern Ireland.

2. Fiona Barrett,
Scotland Spokeswoman, Glasgow Shopkeeper
Fiona Barrett has been the Scottish representative for the Tobacco Retailers Alliance for more than 10 years and has been a TA member for 20 years. Fiona bought her local shop in 1969 in Glasgow after seeing it for sale while she was a school teacher at Scotland Street Primary School, Glasgow.


3.John Abbott,
North-East Spokesman, Darlington Shopkeeper
John Abbott has been a member of the Tobacco Retailers Alliance for the 12 years that he has been an independent retailer in Darlington. For the last 5 years he has served as the TA's North East Representative. John spent over 25 years in the armed forces prior to owning his shop and he serves as a councillor for the North East and Cumbria region on the National Federation of Retail Newsagents.

4. Ken Patel,
National Spokesman, Midlands Spokesman, Leicester Shopkeeper
Ken Patel joined the Tobacco Retailers Alliance six years ago and was appointed our representative for the Midlands in 2004. In 2006, Ken became our National Spokesman. Ken has owned a shop in Leicester for over 20 years. Before becoming a retailer, Ken worked in the marketing department at British Leyland.

5. Mahendra Jadeja,
London Spokesman, London Shopkeeper
Mahendra Jadeja is a former President of National Federation of Retail Newsagents and has acted as the Tobacco Retailers Alliance's London Representative for 10 years. Mahendra has been an independent retailer in London since 1985 and prior to that he qualified as a civil engineer. In 2004 Mahendra was awarded the 'Responsible Retailer of the Year' award by Enfield Borough Council.


6. Debbie Corris,
South England Spokesman, Whitstable Shopkeeper
Debbie Corris's family have owned their shop in Whitstable since 1974 and Debbie has worked there for 25 years since leaving college. Following the retirement of her father Jim Ingram in 2000, Debbie took over the running of the family business. In 2007 when Jim retired from his position as South East spokesperson for the Tobacco Retailers Alliance, Debbie stepped in to fill his shoes.

7. Solly Khonat,
North-West Spokesman, Blackburn Shopkeeper
Solly Khonat, a Labour Councillor in Blackburn, has served as North West Regional Representative for the last five years. He has been an independent retailer in Blackburn for 20 years, 17 of those in his present shop. Solly was recently elected Vice President of the National Federation of Retail Newsagents.

Get involved!

We are looking for retailers to represent the South West region and also Wales. If you would like to become a Tobacco Retailers Alliance spokesperson for your area, please do get in touch:- Telephone: 0800 008282 or Email: info@tobaccoalliance.org.uk