Ice cream man turns London bus into one of Suffolk's only mobile supermarkets

An ice cream man is keeping busy during the quieter winter months – by repurposing a London bus into a mobile supermarket.

Craig Trickett, who had spent lockdown delivering groceries to elderly and vulnerable residents in his ice cream van, has bought a single decker bus with the ambition of turning it into a “mobile supermarket”.

Buying from local greengrocers, wholesale fruit and veg suppliers and bakeries, the 56-year-old and his friend Steve Hicklin, who is in his 40s, will park up on residential streets in towns and villages across Suffolk and Norfolk, allowing customers to buy their produce within an earshot of their homes.

“It’s just like a normal shop, really, except we are parked outside people’s houses,” said the father-of-six.

“We’ll be going to different areas on different days, and people can just hop on the bus and get what they want, or they can place orders as well – and we’ll come and deliver them.

“We even have our own social distancing signs, and had gel on the bus.

“I think it’s essential, especially if we end up having another full lockdown.

“We used to have mobile shops come around rural areas all the time, but that’s mostly stopped now, because supermarkets took over.

“But now, a lot has changed and not everybody wants to go the supermarket any more, so with this, people won’t have to worry.”

Mr Trickett, from Earsham, Norfolk, picked up the bus – which was formerly property of Waltham Forest Council and still bears their insignia – in Wales for a cool £2,000, but has spent upwards of £6,000 making it customer-ready.

“I noticed it was already half kitted out for it; it had disabled access and plenty of space, which we need – and the fact that it was already painted green was perfect.

After tearing out 13 of the 16 seats on the bus, Mr Trickett has installed solar panels on the roof to power the fridge and freezer on board, and attached an air horn which is programmed to play Mungo Jerry’s 1971 hit “In the Summertime”.

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