Patson Local is a retail convenience store based in Girlington that has entered in the Medium-to-Large Business of the Year category.

Manager Kumar Patel has also been entered in the Young Entrepreneur section.

Mr Patel said: “Having graduated at Aston University with a honours degree in Business Computing and IT BSc, I have been appointed the managerial role at our family business, Patson Local, on Whetley Lane.

“My first project in this post included the management of a store expansion and full store refit together with the opening of the first-floor delicatessen. Our business employs eight full-time staff and 11 part-time staff, and it has an annual turnover in excess of £1.5 million.

“We believe our store is one of the market leaders within our field, and are always the first to set trends within the market, whether it be video rentals in the early 1980s or selling/repairing mobile phones in the early 1990s. “We have changed our ways to suit the market to stay ahead of our competitors, diversifying into specialised area, our most recent being the introduction of Eastern European products and services.”