'I'll miss the people' says Glasgow shopkeeper retiring after 44 years

Abdul Haq, 78, and his wife Hameedah, 71, have run the Disqu Blu convenience store at 525 Great Western Road since 1980.

Abdul says he has worked from 6am each morning, seven days a week, for most of that 44 year period - equating to nearly 200,000 hours in the shop.

Abdul with his wife Hameedah (Image: Newsquest)

He says his favourite part of the job has always been the interactions with customers who he will miss chatting to.

“I always speak to all my customers,” he said. “I’m that kind of person. I love people, and I enjoy speaking to everyone that comes in.

“I’ve got customers who have moved away, but when they come back to Glasgow they always pop in to see me. I love that kind of thing. It’s very personal.

“The people around here are lovely. I’ll miss them very much.”

One of many cards Abdul has received wishing him well in retirement (Image: Newsquest)

Abdul says it’s the citizens of Glasgow that have kept him going for so long.

“It was always going to be time to retire at some stage,” he said. “I probably should have retired years ago!

“But I just love being here. I’ve met so many nice people. I’ve got a lot of good memories from this place.”

Abdul and Hameedah have run Disqu Blu since 1980 (Image: Newsquest)

Though Abdul will no longer be working in the shop - which was originally a tobacconist stocking Disque Bleu cigarettes, hence the distinctive name - he won’t be settling down into a dressing gown and slippers anytime soon.

“I’m not going to sit in the house all day,” he said. “I think I’ll do some charity work.

“I want to learn Arabic as well. I can read it but I can’t really speak it. So I’ll learn that, then I can travel around the Middle East.

“And I’d like to see more of Scotland. I’ve never been around the country much, working in here all the time, but I’d love to explore more of it.”

A sign in the shop window announcing 'Chiefy's' retirement (Image: Newsquest)

Adbul’s daughter Farah, who was only a year old when her parents took the shop on, said it was an “emotional time” for the family.

“It’s more than just a business,” she said. “They’ve been here so long that customers have grown old with them, and become family and friends.

“We’ll miss it, because it’s been such a big part of all our lives. We’ve all grown up in here and done our bit in the shop, so it’s been very much a family business.

“It’s an emotional time. But I think it's the right moment for them to retire now. It’s a whole new chapter.”

Abdul says he'll miss chatting to customers more than anything (Image: Newsquest)

Farah paid tribute to her parents for their years of hard work.

“I’ve really lucked out with my parents,” she said. “They’re amazing role models. They’re so hardworking, and they’ve really given back to the local community. I look up to them a lot.

“Everyone knows them around here, they all call my dad Chiefy and my mum Mrs Chiefy. It’s a real community feel, which you don’t really get these days with supermarkets.”

Abdul handed over the keys on November 1, though the shop will continue operating following a refurbishment. If you bump into Abdul strolling round the Highlands or marvelling at the Great Pyramids of Giza, he would no doubt be happy to stop for a chat.