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18
Dec
Long-term Harrogate town centre shop to close in February
A Harrogate shop is set to close early next year after 18 years in the town.
Baytree Interiors in Harrogate’s Victoria Shopping Centre is holding a closing down sale and will permanently shut in mid-February.
The shop has been on the first floor of the shopping centre for many years and was previously housed on Parliament Street.
It is the second shop in the centre to announce its closure this month. Custom clothing, handmade gifts and gothic collectables shop Chaos is also to cease trading, as reported here.
Baytree Interiors had seven shops in the north of England and a head office between Ripon and Bedale.
Three shops are due to close – Harrogate, Doncaster Lakeside, and Sheffield Meadowhall.
Paul Nel, commercial director, told the Stray Ferret the closure was part of a wider strategy for the business to combat rising costs.
He said:
The Harrogate store has been there for a really long time. It is really sad but unfortunately it is part of a wider look at our retail offering.
We import everything and last year the prices of importing items tripled. We have taken a hit, it has caused a severe impact.
The changes by (Chancellor) Ms Reeves and the government’s budget have also made a big impact on the business and we have had to absorb additional costs which means the profits of our stores have come under scrutiny.
Footfall in the shopping centre has been in decline for some time and in Harrogate as a whole it has declined too.
The Harrogate shop closure will affect four staff members.
Mr Nel said:
Our staff are going to be directly affected, and we are trying to support them in that. Our staff have been with us for a long time, we have someone who has worked in the Harrogate store for 18 years.
I am very aware the perception can be negative, and I know it is difficult to see another store in Harrogate disappear. But it is the people involved, our staff in the stores and at head office who this affects.
Baytree Interiors shop Harrogate
Mr Nel added:
It is a difficult time for us as a business and that has been caused by factors out of our control. It has been a difficult decision to make but it puts us in a stronger position for next year.
This move will put our destiny back into our own hands but that has been at the cost of our stores, and it hasn’t been easy.
The exact closing date is yet to be announced.
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