A New Chapter for Our Village Shop

Meet the Family Bringing a Taste of Sri Lanka to Comberton

There’s a new friendly face behind the counter at our village shop, Costcutters. Since taking over in April 2025, Siva and his wife have been working tirelessly to get the shop back on its feet, bringing a warm
welcome and a fresh vision to our community.

A true village man at heart, Siva comes from a village in eastern Sri Lanka. After moving to the UK in 1991 and running a shop in Kent, he  decided to invest all he had in our village, seeing it as a natural new home. He’s joined by his family, including his daughter who has just started sixth form at Comberton Village College. He hopes his warm and friendly approach to customers, particularly his eagerness to chat and help older folk, will build new relationships and restore the shop to its former glory.

Siva’s ambition is to make the shop and Post Office a true community hub that offers something for everyone. While he’s aware of the competition from the new Co-op, he plans to differentiate with unique products and good value. He’s already working to expand the product range to include fresh fruit and vegetables, and is assessing joining Premier Foods to gain access to a broader range of foodstuffs. If there’s something you’d like to see available in the shop, please do ask!

Looking ahead, he plans to introduce a taste of his heritage, with a special focus on authentic Sri Lankan foods like spices, snacks, and maybe even home-made “roti” and “mutton rolls” at a future takeaway
counter -a crowd-pleaser that was a huge hit at the Comberton Summer Festival.

Siva and his family are excited to be part of Comberton and are hoping to get more involved in community and charity work once the business is more established.

Siva’s success depends on the community’s support. The next time you need a loaf of bread, a pint of milk, or a bag of crisps, please pop into the village shop to say hello. Your support will help the shop thrive and allow Siva to continue building a hub that serves our community’s needs.

This article was published originally in October’s Contact and used here  with its authors permission….