Eastbourne shop worker celebrates milestone of 35 years at the same store

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A man who has worked at the same shop in Eastbourne town centre for 35 years has celebrated the milestone achievement.

Murray Pannett has been at the Holland & Barrett store at The Beacon shopping centre since 1989 and has seen many changes, the multi-million pound extension, new retailers and the name-change from The Eastbourne Arndale Centre.

When he turned up for work on his first day on May 3, 1989, Murray had to contend with manual cash-tills, sandwich-making duties, price-guns and a refrigerated section.

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He said: “Some goods needed to have VAT added, others did not. It was a complicated system, but I got the hang of it fairly quickly. We used to sell sandwiches in the store and offer cold foods. That was eventually stopped and we now focus solely on providing health and wellness products.”

Murray Pannett has worked at the Holland & Barrett store inside The Beacon shopping centre since 1989. Picture: Tim Cobb PRMurray Pannett has worked at the Holland & Barrett store inside The Beacon shopping centre since 1989. Picture: Tim Cobb PR
Murray Pannett has worked at the Holland & Barrett store inside The Beacon shopping centre since 1989. Picture: Tim Cobb PR

Murray said he keeps young at heart through a love of gaming. He said: “I love playing video games. I play Dungeons & Dragons and Football Manager with my two sons. We have great fun and it certainly keeps my brain active.

“I have another five years until the state pension kicks in, so I plan to stay here for the foreseeable future.

“I will continue to look after my customers and give them the best product advice possible.”

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Store manager Rob Edwards congratulated Murray. He said “Murray knows everything about the shop, our products and, of course, our customers.

“It is great having somebody with this depth of knowledge. It means we can give customers a great service all the time.”

The Beacon general manager Mark Powell added: “The retail world sees a lot of movement in jobs and careers, so it is incredible that Murray has given so much service to one retailer over so many years.

“It is great to see him around the shopping centre and I hope to see him continue for many years to come.”

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