A Kilmarnock newsagent has been elected the Scottish president of the UK-wide body representing newsagents, becoming the 98th person to hold the title.
Robert Paton was chosen by members of the National Federation of Retail Newsagents. He succeeds Edinburgh-based Abdul Qadar and his term in office is a year.
Says a statement issued by the NFRN: “Robert has been involved with the retail sector for more than 30 years. He started as a trainee manager for CWS Ltd, before moving to become a retail development manager for wholesaler CJ Lang & Son.
“In 1991, he opened his own shop, R&J Paton, which he operated in the town until May 2010 when he decided to concentrate on News2U, a home news delivery business which he ran until January this year.
“Mr Paton is currently looking around for a new shop to purchase but in the meantime is keen to devote as much time as possible to his NFRN duties.”