A popular family-run sandwich shop in Warwickshire is celebrating the first birthday of its Leamington store, just a day after a break-in at its sister store in Warwick. 

What could have been a week overshadowed by stress became a moment that highlighted the local community's support for the independent business. 

Sabin's Sandwich Shop, which opened in Leamington last November, marked its first anniversary at its Court Street location.

The milestone comes during a period of rapid growth for the generational business, which launched its Warwick branch on St John's earlier this year. 

Tom Hope and his partner Hayley, whose family have run Sabins for generations, described the anniversary as "a real sense of achievement.

Tom shared: "When you've got a year under the belt, it stops feeling like a pipe dream, because you're so in it when you first start that and you're operating and you're trying to dodge the blows that come at you.

"To get a year under the belt, it's really nice to be able to look back at what a year it's been."

To celebrate the milestone, the Leamington shop was decorated with balloons, and customers were treated to slices of a custom-made birthday cake designed by Coffee Architects, an in-house baker. 

The day also brought together multiple generations of the family who have run Sabin's for more than 20 years. 

To celebrate the milestone, the Leamington shop was decorated with balloons, and customers were treated to slices of a custom-made birthday cake (image supplied)

The shop initially started out as a bakery on Farley Street in Leamington under the name 'Sabin & Son' in 1860.

Therefore, the generational history of the business made the first anniversary of the Leamington store all the more special.

 "I think just celebrating is really good for the staff as well, with it being a family business," he said.

"We also had a couple of generations together, so it was nice to be able to do something that's generational in the family, and supporting these moments because there's a history spanning back for so many years and it's all documented. 

"It's important to our heritage and to Leamington's heritage. So, that's why we sort of just wanted to do it." 

However, the celebrations came just hours after the Warwick store suffered a break-in. 

The attack, which left the front door smashed, occurred early the previous morning. 

Describing the incident, Tom said: "It was a real blow. I got a phone call from Hayley when she arrived in the morning and the door was smashed in. She was shaken and upset, as anyone would be." 

The shop initially started out as a bakery on Farley Street in Leamington under the name 'Sabin & Son' in 1860 (image supplied)

The team did what they could: reported it to the police, cleared the scene, and arranged immediate repairs. 

But what came next made all the difference. 

"The community rallied round. People came in to support us, and it ended up being a really good day, not just in sales, but in how much people showed they care."

He added that, unlike large chains, independent businesses feel vandalism far more keenly, being something that takes almost a whole day's sales to fix.

"People don't realise how much a small incident can affect a local business. In times like this, with hospitality and independent businesses under pressure, it really matters," he said. 

Despite the setback, the team refused to let the break-in overshadow their first-birthday celebrations. 

Tom concluded: "It happened, it's done, and we moved on with what we had the next day, which was celebrating a year in Leamington. 

"It's just so nice to be able to celebrate what we've achieved."