We’re celebrating 125 years of serving Coca‑Cola in Great Britain, together with local corner shop bosses like the Williams family.

Sophie Williams calls it “the greatest love story ever told”. Her mum, Linda, met her dad, Dennis, at the cash-and-carry where he worked – and when he wanted to arrange a date with her, he gave her the store’s phone number.

The Williams’ corner shop in Edinburgh’s Oxgangs suburb was founded by Sophie’s father, Dennis, and his parents in 1983, and has been at the heart of the community ever since.    

Now their daughter Sophie, an experienced theatrical performer, is bringing fresh energy to the store – from viral TikTok videos to online delivery apps for a new generation of customers. 

Although the Williams’ business has grown immensely over its 41 years - what hasn’t changed is their passion, customer service, and unrelenting work ethic.   

With Sophie at the helm, she is driven to continue the family legacy – and to show how heritage and innovation can thrive side by side.  

Convenience stores, and the local bosses who run them, aren’t just some of our most important customers at Coca‑Cola: they’re a pillar of local communities bringing people together. 

This year, we’re celebrating 125 years of serving Coca‑Cola in Great Britain, together with our local independent retail partners like Sophie.

Corner shops, and the “bosses” who run them, aren’t just an essential part of the Coca‑Cola system – they are a pillar of communities whose value to society goes beyond the products they sell.

That is why – to celebrate our local corner shop bosses – Sophie and the Williams family have been immortalised by talented Gen Z photographer Serena Brown, known for her work on bringing the stories of real people to the front of her camera lens. Brown produced a gallery of photos celebrating the commitment, heritage, know-how and personalities behind Britain’s corner shop counters.