THE early weeks of the Covid pandemic saw panic buying take hold, with shop shelves stripped of items such as toilet rolls and pasta.

Dan Brown, managing director of Pinkie Farm convenience store in Musselburgh, was one of those on the frontline of trying to make sure supplies were reaching customers – particularly the most vulnerable.

He said: “It was quite a scary time. There was a lot of uncertainty.

“We had a lot to think about straight away. We had to be very quick in terms of implementing various different measures to make sure we were keeping everyone as safe as possible.

“Being a community-focused store we were very conscious we had to be there for our community. Within the first week or so we were seeing supermarket supply chains crumbling and all the panic buying was going on, so we really did see a responsibility to do what we could to make sure customers were getting what they needed.

“We were conscious a lot of people weren’t able to get out at all, the more vulnerable people, so we started doing deliveries and things like that which we didn’t charge for.

“The way we saw it, the sooner we could get everyone through it the better, as it was scary times for everyone.”

Brown, who is president of the Scottish Grocers’ Federation, said while his retail sector was one of the lucky industries that has been able to stay open, there have been many challenges over the past year such as an increase in operating costs.

However he said the pandemic had brought the local community closer.

“I think we have hopefully become quite a strong part of that,” he said. “We have been doing a lot of home deliveries, helping out customers in different ways we can.”

But he said he hoped there would now also be more understanding and respect for shop staff.

“We have seen a significant increase in abuse as a result of things like asking customers to wear masks, or just following some of the measures,” he said.

“I think people are starting to realise more now the things we are having to go through to try and keep people safe.”

He said he hoped people would remember the crucial role of local shops during the pandemic and continue to support them.

“We certainly had a lot of praise at the time when the supermarkets were essentially empty.

“Our team did go above and beyond and I think we have hopefully been recognised for that.”