Vicky Carr, Author at The Stray Ferret

Revival for James Street as major brands set to open doors

Business leaders say one of Harrogate’s most prestigious streets is experiencing a resurgence after the challenges of covid.

James Street was for many years seen as the most desirable place to open a shop in the town, with its heritage features and high quality brands.

However, the last couple of years have seen it struggle with empty units, the temporary removal of parking spaces, and controversial plans to pedestrianise at least part of the street.

But with major national brands including Oliver Bonas and Pret a Manger set to open there in the coming months, along with popular local beer emporium Husk, could James Street be experiencing a return to its former fortunes?

Harrogate BID certainly thinks so, as manager Matthew Chapman explained:

“It is very good news to see a swathe of new business opening on James Street, including a number of well-known national brands.

“It has always been one of the town’s most prominent streets, hosting a wide variety of quality shops, and when Next moved to Victoria Shopping Centre it was a blow. In its place we had a discount store, which certainly wasn’t in keeping with other shops on the street.

“Now the unit is to be occupied by what we believe to be a top fashion brand, and coupled with Pret a Manger moving in next door, it will give James Street a very welcome boost.”

The positive news for the street comes despite fears raised by existing businesses that any pedestrianisation – and the nearby Station Gateway scheme which would reduce Station Parade to one lane for cars – could be severely damaging to retail.

Latest Station Gateway visuals which show Harrogate's James Street pedestrianised.

Station Gateway proposals show Harrogate’s James Street pedestrianised.

Business owners have argued that customers like to park up nearby and pop into shops for just a few minutes, rather than parking further afield and walking in. Reducing their ability to do so, owners say, will have an effect on footfall and seriously hamper their viability.

Bob Kennedy, who owns Porters on James Street, said the arrival of new businesses is a welcome sign – but does not necessarily reflect confidence in the proposed changes.

“It’s a classic case of what will happen if we pedestrianise it. Walk up Cambridge Street and have a look at the quality and you realise why people want to be on James Street instead.

“I don’t think [pedestrianisation] would lead to businesses leaving. With the larger independents and upcoming chains, it’s simply if you are in a spot and it’s making you money, you stay. If it’s losing you money, you look to leave.

“Whether the Station Gateway will lead to people taking less money and less profitability and therefore make them think about leaving, who knows?”

Mr Kennedy said rents had come down as landlords realised demand for retail space had fallen slightly, making it more viable for businesses to open up and try to make shops viable.

This was more likely to be a factor, he said, than any proposed changes which could take a long time to come into effect.

However, he said the situation was cyclical, with low rents encouraging more demand, which would in turn drive rents back up. Larger, national brands would be more likely to be able to absorb those higher costs, he said.

Three options for James Street will be consulted on, under council plans.

Planters were used to prevent parking on James Street during the covid pandemic

For Harrogate BID, there is a clear sense of positivity across the town centre after a tough two years.

Mr Chapman added:

“It’s not just James Street that is seeing new life being breathed into empty units.

“Walking around town as I do regularly, new businesses are also popping up in a number of other locations, including Montpellier, which is good news for the town centre economy.

“Having a vibrant mix of national and independents is what makes Harrogate appealing to shoppers, both local and from further afield.”

District businesses donate to Ukraine aid convoy

Businesses from across the Harrogate district have shown their support for Ukraine by donating dozens of pallets of supplies.

Neom Organics has given shower gel, soap and hand sanitiser, while Taylors of Harrogate has contributed supplies of tea and coffee.

Children’s shop Milk and Honey donated thousands of pounds’ worth of clothes, from wellies and hats to summer clothes. Other donations have included bottled water and fizzy drinks.

The supplies are being sent to Global Empowerment Mission, which is distributing them to refugee camps as well as communities in Ukraine.

Organiser Whitney Vauvelle said:

“It has been an incredible effort from the Harrogate and Yorkshire community. It really speaks highly of the bread and butter of what this community is about.

“People are going numb on this and we can’t let that happen. Supply chains are severely disrupted into Ukraine so we have to keep donating and sending trucks over.”

A final collection will be held at White Horse Machinery (WHM) on Hornbeam Park on Wednesday, May 18, from 9.30am to 1.30pm, when businesses and individuals can make contributions.

Donations of non-perishable foods are needed, along with clothing including shoes, new underwear, new and like-new trainers, and sportswear for children.

For more information, call Ms Vauvelle on 07860 922600.

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Home care company expands from Harrogate base

A home care company founded in Harrogate in 2018 is expanding to a satellite office in West Yorkshire.

West Park Care will cover Ilkley, Burley in Wharefedale, Guiseley, Menston, Yeadon and surrounding areas from its new office at Wharfe Bank Mills in Otley.

Founder Tom Page said:

“We’ve got through the pandemic which has been a slog to say the least. We’ve come out of that relatively unscathed and now we’re looking to expand.”

The company offers domiciliary care to private clients in their own homes, and now has 30 staff and 44 clients on its books.

Mr Page said its point of difference was not using zero-hours contracts and paying above minimum wage, which helped it to keep staff turnover low.

New group launches for Harrogate women with menopause

A proposal to set up a group for women dealing with symptoms of the menopause has received an “overwhelming” response from the community.

Vic Smith-Dunn, who runs Harrogate-based social enterprise MyLifePool, posted the idea on the group’s Facebook page this week.

Within just a couple of hours she had numerous comments from people saying it was desperately needed. With a date for its first meeting arranged, more than 25 people signed up straight away.

Vic said:

“When you go to your GP, they haven’t necessarily been given a full in-depth education about perimenopause. Being able to say, ‘is this a possibility?’ and ‘maybe I could do this or that?’ can be helpful, but where do you find the information in the first place?

“The idea of the group is to share information – it’s about women supporting women.”

The inspiration for the group came from Vic’s own experience of perimenopause, which she said left her worried about her health. However, speaking to other women going through the same thing gave her reassurance that hormonal changes were to blame for her symptoms, including loss of memory and depression.

When the group first meets on May 25, biochemist and nutritionist Linda Le Floch from Quality Health Foods in the Westminster Arcade will give some tips on ways to manage symptoms.

There will also be opportunities for women to submit questions in advance or ask them on the night, and to share their own stories and advice about dealing with the impact of menopause.

The way the group operates will be guided by its members, who will be able to meet for coffee, nights out and other events as frequently as they wish.

Vic also hopes to put on a larger event in future, including information for husbands and partners supporting women through menopause. She said:

“My husband did a whole load of research and got to understand the hormone imbalance so he was able to explain to me what was going on. I just wasn’t able to do that at the time.

“Without that understanding, so many marriages break down because men don’t understand what their wives are going through – the women don’t always understand it themselves.”

To book a place at the event on May 25, click here.

Harrogate district raises flags for jubilee celebrations

With less than three weeks to go until the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations begin, preparations are already under way across the Harrogate district.

Bunting has gone up in Harrogate town centre, while knitters in Ripon have put together a fitting royal display.

Knaresborough Business Collective has joined in the fun by putting up commemorative flags outside shops across the town, with even more being added this week.

Knaresborough

The town has plenty of plans for celebrations throughout the jubilee weekend, as do many communities across the district.

Ripon and Harrogate have also dressed up the streets in preparation for the four-day party.

The Stray Ferret has put together a comprehensive guide to what’s happening across the four days. You can find the full details here.

Knaresborough

Bunting on High Skellgate in Ripon.

Bunting going up in Harrogate this week.

If your street, village or town is putting up decorations to mark the occasion, let us know by emailing details and photographs to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Bettys hunts across Harrogate district for cake fit for a Queen

The national competition to find the Queen’s platinum jubilee pudding may have ended, but keen bakers still have a chance to be part of the Harrogate district’s royal celebrations.

Last night, the winner of the national pudding competition was announced as Jemma Melvin, who created a lemon and amaretti trifle.

Her recipe will now sit alongside others, such as Victoria sponge and Coronation chicken, which have been created to mark important royal occasions.

Meanwhile, in the Harrogate district, a new competition has been launched to find “a cake fit for a Queen” – and naturally, Bettys is leading the hunt for the worthy winner.

Bakers are tasked with creating an 18cm flavoured sponge with a filling of their choice, complete with decorations to fill the brief of being “fit for a Queen”.

Once they’ve tried and tested the perfect recipe, entrants must upload a photo of their finished creation along with the recipe itself to the competition page on the Stray Ferret’s website by the deadline of Wednesday, May 25 at 5pm.

A shortlist of five will then be drawn up and the finalists will be invited to Bettys Cookery School for the judging on June 1.

The winner will get a place on a course of their choice at Bettys Cookery School.

The competition will be judged by Ann Hedges, a teacher of food and nutrition and a food product developer who has worked for major UK and international retailers, as well as food manufacturers including Marks and Spencer and Sainsbury’s.

To find out more about the competition or to enter a cake, click here.

Harrogate nursery retains ‘good’ rating in new Ofsted report

A children’s nursery in Harrogate has maintained is ‘good’ rating from Ofsted for the third inspection in a row.

Busy Bees on Cornwall Road – registered as Kindercare, a name under which it previously traded – was inspected at the beginning of April.

The report published this week praised the nursery’s positive relationships between staff and children, as well as the support given to children’s language development.

Inspectors said:

“Children learn through an effective balance of adult-led activities and child-initiated play. Staff introduce topics that capture children’s curiosity and support their learning.

“For example, older children are engrossed when they learn about the sinking of the Titanic. Older children then eagerly predict which objects will sink or float in the water tray. Children beam with pride when they succeed.”

The report also highlighted the physical skills developed by children, from crawling, walking and running to using cutlery with confidence.

It praised the work done with different age groups to teach children about other cultures and beliefs. It said children are encouraged to share photographs of their family members to aid discussions about the ways in which people are similar and different.

The inspection report added:

“Staff establish strong partnerships with parents. There is successful two-way communication between parents and staff.

“Parents say that their children love coming to nursery and make excellent progress, especially in their language and social skills. Parents are full of praise for the friendly and dedicated staff team.”

To further improve the rating, which was ‘good’ across all areas, the report said staff should be given more support to extend their good practice. It said, while there were systems in place to monitor staff performance, supervision sessions had recently become less frequent and less focused on staff development.

Harrogate town centre shop closes as business continues to trade

A shop in the centre of Harrogate has closed suddenly this week.

The former Dizzy Duck shop in Albert Street is now being advertised to let by FSS at £22,000 per annum.

A sign in the window says the estate agency re-entered the premises on Monday, on behalf of the landlord. It adds:

“As a consequence of the re-entry, the lease is forfeited and the premises have been secured.”

However, Dizzy Duck continues to trade online and owner Louise Chesters has been posting on its Facebook page frequently this week.

The business had a stall at Ripon market today, and has posted about plans to attend markets in Masham and Thirsk next week.

It changed its business address and phone number before 9am on Monday to remove the Albert Street details.

The Stray Ferret contacted Dizzy Duck about its departure from the shop. The owner declined to comment, but said there would be news coming soon about the business.

Knaresborough ecommerce firm acquired by Leeds agency

A specialist e-commerce firm in Knaresborough has been acquired by a digital marketing agency in Leeds.

Three members of staff from Audere Commerce have joined Ascensor as part of the deal, including managing director James Withers.

He said:

“The Audere Commerce team and I are very much looking forward to joining a larger, more established digital agency.

“Ascensor share our values of delivering advanced digital technology to clients looking to grow through conversion.”

It is the third acquisition for Ascensor in the last 12 months. Managing director Andrew Firth said:

“This is a very exciting deal for Ascensor, and presents an opportunity to build further our ecommerce client base. We will be able to extend the range of services offered to the new clients.

“The skills base represented by this acquisition complements our existing strengths.

“Audere Commerce are ecommerce software specialists, they’ve developed a specialism in B2B ecommerce.

“We will be able to provide the new clients with marketing services, and they’ll benefit from our focus on conversion rate optimisation, that helps website owners to generate the maximum possible value from their digital assets and grow through return on investment.”

Vigilance urged after attempted theft at Harrogate antiques shop

Antiques shops and dealers are being urged to be vigilant after an attempted burglary of a shop in Harrogate this week.

The shop at 27 West Park was targeted between 6pm on Tuesday and 6am on Wednesday this week, when a culprit or culprits attempted to enter via a side window but did not gain access.

A shop on Main Street in Hawes was also targeted in the early hours of today. Between 1.10am and 1.20am, a main broke into a shop on Main Street and stole items from inside.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said:

“As a precaution, shops and businesses — particularly those dealing in antiques — are urged to be vigilant, and check their security measures. You can contact your local neighbourhood policing team for bespoke crime prevention advice.

“Officers are requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the two incidents.

“In particular, we are appealing for residents and businesses to check any CCTV systems or doorbell cameras that may have captured footage of suspects or any vehicles driving away from the areas.”

The suspect in the Hawes burglary is described as around 5ft 6ins to 5ft 7ins in height, of skinny build and wearing black clothing with a lower face covering. Police have not issued a description of a suspect in the Harrogate attempted burglary.

Anyone with information that could assist the investigation at Harrogate can email ian.mason@northyorkshire.police.uk, quoting reference number 12220079988.

For the Hawes investigation, email heather.campbell@northyorkshire.police.uk, quoting reference number 12220080576.

Alternatively, call North Yorkshire Police on 101 and speak to the force control room, giving the relevant reference number. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

New chamber president ready to reinvigorate Harrogate business scene

The new president of a business organisation celebrating its 125th anniversary said she hopes her term will be an opportunity for progress.

Sue Kramer is set to begin her two-year term at the helm of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce at its AGM tonight.

It will also mark the milestone anniversary with a celebration at Roosters taproom on Hornbeam Park, which Mrs Kramer said will be an opportunity to celebrate its long history.

Once the celebrations are over, Mrs Kramer is clear that her focus will be on the future. Her priorities include making more use of technology to keep businesses engaged and to canvas their views so they can be represented to local authorities.

“I’m looking forward to helping with working smart and being aware of moving with the times and keeping our finger on the pulse for everything.

“One thing I’m really aware of is that we have to bring about more sustainability. I want to embed sustainability into the chamber and its members. If we could all just do a little bit, it would help.”

Change can often be controversial in Harrogate – something Mrs Kramer, who runs a jewellery shop in the town centre with husband Stephen, knows only too well.

Proposals to reduce car use and encourage walking and cycling through changes in road layout, such as the £10.9m Station Gateway scheme, have drawn extensive criticism from retailers over recent months.

Plans to revamp Station Parade and James Street have proved controversial

Mrs Kramer said it was tricky to strike a balance between the importance of having more environmentally friendly measures and the need to support struggling town centre businesses. However, she said, there was nothing wrong with sharing views and debating the merits of proposals in order to ensure the right solution was reached.

“I think when these things occur, they have got to be looked at calmly and rationally and then come up with valid points for and against.

“It’s not one-size-fits-all. They are all very important and have to be viewed on their own merits.

“I don’t see the point of antagonising people. We have all got one common goal for the benefit of Harrogate.

“We should all work together. We may not always agree, but we can put that across diplomatically.”

For Mrs Kramer, working for the benefit of Harrogate comes naturally. She moved here as a child and attended local schools, as have her two children, now in their 20s.

Her early career was in recruitment and she ran an agency, with large national firms among its clients. Now, having run Crown Jewellers with her husband for more than two decades, she feels she can bring the perspectives of different businesses to her term as chamber president, with support from an active management committee representing a wide range of sectors.

Outgoing president Martin Gerrard, right, with chamber chief executive David Simister.

She is naturally a ‘do-er’: over the last few years, she has brought the shops on Commercial Street together to raise the area’s profile. She has persuaded the BID and Harrogate Borough Council to invest in improving the street too.

As the structure of local government changes over the coming year, Mrs Kramer says she will use her contacts and skills to ensure local businesses continue to have their voices heard.

“We will be building very strong relationships with North Yorkshire Council. Harrogate is going to need to step up and be very visible.

“We won’t be overlooked, but we have got to make sure we have got a strong voice.”

Unlike pure networking groups, the chamber often has the ear of decision-makers – its upcoming programme includes a visit from the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, and senior councillors and officers regularly share their plans with members at the monthly meetings.

As the difficulties of covid are gradually left behind, Mrs Kramer said there is a huge opportunity ahead for the 125-year-old chamber to evolve.

“It’s like spring: everything is shooting up and growing and coming back to life. It’s really exciting. Getting the members back to meetings is brilliant. We’ve got a good programme of meetings, relevant, informative and fun – we’re really moving forward.

“It’s a bit daunting [becoming president], but I’m really looking forward to it. Now we’re out of covid, there’s real scope to go a little bit further.”

Food fraud investigation into Bleiker’s Smokehouse

A business founded in the Harrogate district almost 30 years ago is being investigated for food fraud.

Bleiker’s Smokehouse, established in 1993 and previously based at Glasshouses Mill in Nidderdale, fell into administration at the end of April.

While administrators FRP Advisory seek a buyer for the business, the Food Standards Agency’s National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) has begun an investigation into allegations of food fraud.

Gavan Wafer, head of investigation at the NFCU, said:

“Our investigation into Bleikers Smokehouse Ltd is related to a number of alleged issues including concerns about their country of origin claims on some of their smoked salmon products. The NFCU has acted on intelligence it received and which has resulted in one arrest being made.

“It is vitally important that we ensure food is safe and what it says it is and that consumers and food businesses are confident in the authenticity of food they are buying. We would like to take the opportunity to thank North Yorkshire Police for assisting in the investigation and supporting this operation.”

The business was founded by the Bleiker family from Burton Leonard, who stepped down as directors in 2006. At the time it fell into administration, Charles Andrew of Kirby Malzeard was the sole director.

The smokehouse had moved in recent years to a business park at Leeming Bar, employing 86 members of staff and supplying supermarkets across the UK.

On April 28, 38 people were made redundant before the company entered administration the following day.

A spokesman for FRP Advisory today said there was no further update on its work following news of the investigation.

At the end of April, Martyn Pullin, partner at FRP and joint administrator, said:

“Bleiker’s was a family operation with a track record of supporting both major and independent retailers. The loss of a significant contract left the business in a difficult financial position. Regrettably, the insolvency has meant that the business is no longer able to continue trading and redundancies have been made.

“We are on site and will work closely with impacted staff to help them access the support they need in making applications to the Redundancy Payments Office.

“We are now focused on exploring options to sell the business and its assets and encourage any interested parties to come forward.”