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

Sunita Aggarwal’s remarkable story of grief, resilience and empowerment is a testament to the strength of communities, and the local people and businesses at the heart of them. 

Sunita became the owner of three convenience stores, two in Wigston and central Leicester and another in Sheffield, after her husband Raj – himself a leading retailer, entrepreneur, innovator and philanthropist – died in April 2020 from Covid-19.   

For 20 years Sunita had helped Raj in the background. Overnight, alongside battling her grief, Sunita had to learn everything about running a store - from how to take inventory, to liaising with suppliers, to paying wages.  

Today, Sunita is one of the most respected figures in her community and a huge champion for other women working in the retail industry, as a member of the ACS’ Women's Independent Retailer Network (WIRN) and Women In Convenience.  

Her aim is to inspire a network of fellow female independent retail owners through training and support, offering workshops on public speaking, utilising social media, and becoming influential figures in their local communities.

Sunita, along with her children, close family and friends also decided to keep Raj’s philanthropic legacy alive through fundraising for the local community, local NHS hospitals and struggling retailers – running yearly charity events that have brought in over £250,000 worth of support for those that need it most.     

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

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 – Sunita has 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.

Similarly, Director Ross Bolidai has produced a moving mini-documentary that looks at Sunita’s story and how our local corner shops boast a vital role within communities and in supporting fellow independent businesses throughout Leicester.