New bargain shop opens on former Simply Sweet on Cartergate, Newark

A bargain shop has opened doors in the former Simply Sweet store on Cartergate, Newark.

Friends for over 20 years, Alec Webster and James Cahill joined forces to open – Wot a Bargain – which offers the community a wide variety of products for the cheapest prices possible.

From Coca-Cola at 35 pence a bottle instead of £1,50 at the supermarket, to £1,50 for a bottle of Heinz ketchup.

Wot a Bargain has sold over 700 bottles of Coca-Cola in the first five days of opening.

The shop offers a range of products from food and drinks to toilet rolls, car paint, colourful knitting yarns and animal and cleaning products – all in date.

“We are special because we beat everybody on prices,” said Alec Webster.

“It isn’t just a case of the cheap prices, it is a banter with all the people coming, the comments and conversations.

“They come back not only because of the prices or the variety but for all the other reasons, people say it is like a market stall and it feels like one but we have more products here.”

The shop is able to sell all its products for cheaper prices either because there is a surplus at the manufacturer's or a new product that testers haven’t particularly liked or that is close to the sell-by date which supermarkets can’t have on display.

“We aren’t guaranteed to get the same products all the time so if people want to buy them they have to buy them now,” added Mr Webster.

Mr Webster's business partner and long-term friend, James Cahill said: “We opened without anyone knowing and it was an excellent day. Hopefully, it will stay like this or get better.

“It should only get better as no one can compete with the prices.”

The shop is open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm.