A NEW greengrocer’s stall in the town centre is already bearing fruit days after opening.

Sam’s Fruiter, which is run by Maged Shams, was launched in The Plaza on the ground floor of the Brunel Shopping centre on Tuesday selling all the usual fruit and vegetables as well as fresh herbs and a wide range of African, Asian and Caribbean foods.

Maged said: “My friends have been telling me that they needed somewhere in the town centre to buy produce so I decided to take the plunge and open in The Brunel Shopping Centre.

“We’ve only been open for a couple of days but I am absolutely delighted at how busy we’ve been. There certainly seems to be an appetite for the produce that I’m selling. I’ve tried to offer a variety of fresh produce to appeal to as wide a range of people as possible.”

Maged added: “I’m delighted to say that not only has trade been really brisk, but I’ve already received orders from some traders in the food hub upstairs - The Crossing - too. I’m very optimistic about the future.

"Eat healthily – that’s my advice to everyone.”

Shopping centre manager Jane Stewart said: “We are really pleased that trade has got off to a roaring start.

“We’ve listened to feedback from our customers who told us they want to see independent traders and fresh produce stalls and judging from the feedback we’ve had so far, both in the centre and on social media, Sam’s Fruiters should be well supported.

"Our social media post about the stall was shared around 500 times in the first two days alone.”

The stall, named after Maged’s son, is next to the Canal Walk entrance and is open seven days a week selling everything from broccoli and carrots to Pamelo, a type of grapefruit and the very unusual looking Karela from the gourd family.

Maged is hoping shoppers will tell him if there is other fruit, vegetables and herbs that they would also like him to stock. He wants to source locally where it’s feasible. “I’m on the lookout for local suppliers of fresh produce and am hoping to find local farms that might be able to supply me. That’s going to be my next focus.”