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SIXTH SHOP FOR ENTREPRENEUR ENTERPRISING Mounir Maizia has just opened his sixth shop in his adopted town and has spoken about his plans to roll out his expanding business empire throughout the county. He has launched World News newsagents in Cheltenham’s Beechwood Shopping Centre – his third shop in the complex.  Mr Maiziar says he is going back to where he started running his own business 12 years ago when he had a small newsagents in the town’s Lower High Street.Since then he has opened Cafe LaScala coffee shop and Fresh Crust, also in Beechwood, and two other coffee shops and a pastie shop in other parts of town. Click here for more Mr Maizia, who has a degree in civil engineering, designs all the shops himself and says he chose the name World News because he wanted to incorporate a globe or world symbol in the title. Mr Maizia, 41, will initially manage the shop himself and employs 24 staff across his six stores in Cheltenham. He said that since arriving from Algeria he has developed a passion for the people, culture and architecture of Cheltenham. “From the first day I arrived 14 years ago I have absolutely loved the place,” said Mr Maizia, who lives in Churchdown with his wife Nicole and 11-year-old son Sammy. “I always wanted to run my own business. I had a vision to open a chain of shops across the country but I’ve gone nowhere and don’t want to go anywhere else. “From the day I arrived I had a picture of what I would like to achieve. I still want to open more shops but they will be in Gloucestershire. I can’t imagine being anywhere else.” He added: “I first came to London and studied accountancy and then I went to Manchester but I could not succeed there. I don’t know why or what it was. I stayed for four years and had lots of different jobs. When I came to Cheltenham it was completely different. “I got a job at Costa Coffee ‘when they were a baby’ and had only about 50 shops and I was like a regional manager opening shops for them. “I gained a lot of experience and decided that if I could open coffee shops for them, I could open one for myself. “But I couldn’t get a coffee shop at that time so got a shop in Lower High Street and opened a newsagents – which I knew absolutely nothing about.” Eventually he opened La Scala coffee shop in Beechwood in 2003. “Because I am Mediterranean, from North Africa, Algeria, I really love coffee and now have my own La Scala brand and have the trade name. It’s my recipe and it’s only sold in my shops, nowhere else. “I was then asked by the landlord at Beechwood if I would like to take on a unit near the entrance and opened Fresh Crust. “Beechwood has been very useful and very good for me, and I bought the pasty shop in Regent Street. I also have Caffe Palazzo in Pittville Street and Caffe La Scala in Lower High Street.” “Even in the recession, which was difficult, we have not really suffered and I’m glad to say we didn’t have to cut any staff numbers.” |