A convenience store in Whitley has been given permission to keep on selling alcohol until midnight on weekends.
The Niki Convenience Store is located in Whitley Wood Lane, right at its roundabout junction with Whitley Wood Road.
The shop has been a staple in the neighbourhood for years, selling snacks, soft drinks and alcoholic drinks to customers.
The owner of the store has recently won permission to keep on selling alcohol until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and 11pm the rest of the week.
This follows a successful licensing application to Reading Borough Council submitted last November.
A statutory consultation ended on December 22, 2025, with no objections being received.
The grant of the licence was confirmed by a council licensing officer.
The store has permission to open from 6.30am each day, but had to close at 10pm Sunday to Thursday, and 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays according to its previous licence.
The owner of Niki Stores, Ghanshyam Patel, previously objected to a licensing application for a new store to sell alcohol at the former Berkshire Home Brew and Smith’s motorcycle site.
Mr Patel’s objection stated: “Whitley Wood Lane is already home to Niki Convenience Store, which adequately serves the needs of our community.
“The addition of another alcohol store is unnecessary and potentially harmful to the overall well-being of our neighbourhood.”
Niki Stores received a 0/5 food hygiene rating following an inspection last October, with the Food Standards Agency website stating that major improvements were necessary.
