Sewell on the go team up with Tommy Coyle to provide fresh fruit and veg during COVID-19

Following the temporary closure of their Subway stores, Sewell on the go has proudly joined up with Tommy Coyle and Coyle & Sons to offer fresh fruit and vegetables to our local communities.

Three of the 13 Sewell on the go stores across Hull and the East Riding are usually home to Subway stores which the local forecourt retailer and convenience store chain was instructed to close on a temporary basis after the government announced a nationwide lockdown amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The team has since decided to utilise the space by joining forces with Coyle & Sons to offer customers fresh fruit and vegetables during the lockdown.

The Sewell family business started out in 1906 with Robert Sewell selling fruit from a handcart in west Hull to feed his family of 20. His son, also Robert, went on to expand the business to half a dozen grocers in Hull and York by 1960.

Managing Director, Patrick Sewell said: “We had three subways integrated into our stores, but obviously everything is evolving day to day.

“And after the government advice we decided to close all of the Subways on Monday last week – it happened straight away it was almost zero hours notice.

“We thought, ‘well what can we do next’ and we have a good relationship with Tommy Coyle and his dad with their family’s fruit and veg business so we said is there something we can do?

“And in typical style, we met with them a couple of hours later.

“It was literally Tuesday morning we had these fruit and veg stalls in place

“We’ve gone from not trading with them at all to having five sites set up.”

Tommy Coyle adds that after establishing the first few stalls, there are plans to expand the partnership further.

He said: “We’ve had loads of people telling us how hard they’re finding it to get hold of fresh fruit and veg.

“I’ve been spending two to three hours there in the mornings setting everything up.

“By Tuesday next week, we’ll be in all of the Sewell stores across Hull and up to Beverley.”

“The Sewell family were the best fruit and veg vendors Hull ever had. So it’s kind of come full circle. It’s really nice to join forces.”

The new stalls can be found at Sewell on the go South Cave, Cottingham, Sutton, Chanterlands and Hull West stores.  Click here to find your nearest store.