A Swanage family has been chosen as the star of a major new campaign by Coca-Cola.
The campaign shines a spotlight on the invaluable role that corner shops, and the real people behind the counter, play in their local communities.
Keith Tomes, whose family has owned and operated Costcutter Swanage for more than a century, is among six business owners from across the country that will feature in the campaign.
"We’ve been here for over 100 years and we hope to be here for 100 more.
"My father ran the store with hard work and dedication for many years, and I do my best every day to live up to his legacy.
"This campaign by Coca-Cola is all about recognising the impact that a small business like ours can have on the local people who depend on it.
"It’s true to say that the Tomes family store is part of the fabric of Swanage, and I’m especially proud that my sons Chris and Darren are finding their own ways to give back to the community too.”
The campaign will include a new portrait and docu-series shot which celebrates 125 years of its products being sold in Great Britain, hand-in-hand with local retailers.
The short film reveals the Tomes family’s legacy of serving the Swanage community, which began with opening their store on Swanage High Street 117 years ago.
Surviving two world wars, rationing and a global pandemic, the store has been handed down through five generations and is today operated by Keith, his sister, sons Chris and Darren, and niece Michelle.
Keith’s great-grandfather opened their store – then called H.E.M Tomes Groceries and Provision – at 208 High Street, Swanage in 1908.
It passed to his great-aunt and his grandfather, before his father took over the running of the shop in 1956, eventually passing the business on to his own children.
Today, the Tomes family serves the Swanage community in more ways than stocking people’s daily essentials.
One of Keith’s sons, Chris, is deputy mayor of the town while his other son, Darren, volunteers with the local RNLI crew.
